Ease the Way - Gebauer Patient Comfort Blog

3 Things Patients Want from Nurses (But Won't Tell Them)

By: Bethany Nock | On: March 28, 2017

To be successful in their role, nurses have a long list of skills and traits they must possess. Yet some days it can feel as if they need one more: mind-reading.

Patients aren’t usually the best at communicating what they want. This is somewhat understandable, however, since it’s intimidating to be in any unfamiliar situation, let alone one as stressful as a hospital stay.

Wondering what patients want during their hospital stay? Here are three things patients want from nurses during their time in the hospital.

10 Worksite Wellness Ideas for Nurses

By: Jennifer Clark | On: March 23, 2017

The average full-time employee in America works 46.7 hours per week. But as healthcare workers know all too well, hospital hours are long and often include double shifts. What is the effect of these long hours on employee health? Research shows that overwork can lead to poor sleep, depression, and even serious health problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

Busy nurses often think about the needs of their patients before their own. Making an effort to include wellness activities can help alleviate some of the stress nurses experience, as well reduce health risks. What are the benefits of a wellness program? We’ll cover this topic along with 10 ideas you can try right now.

Breaking Bad News: A Guide for Novice Nurses

By: Bethany Nock | On: March 21, 2017

Arguably one of the most difficult parts of being a nurse is delivering bad news to patients and their families.

Whether you’re informing a patient of an unfavorable diagnosis or telling someone their loved one has passed away, the situation is emotionally draining and one nurses dread.

To help make the task a little easier, here are a few tips for breaking bad news.

How Physicians Can Build Better Patient Relationships

By: Bethany Nock | On: March 16, 2017

Sometimes, the most challenging obstacle a physician can face is establishing a strong connection with their patient.

The benefits of a good physician-patient relationship are numerous—higher patient satisfaction, better diagnostic accuracy, increased compliance to treatment plans and improved outcomes, to name a few—but breaking down the barrier between clinicians and patients can be difficult.

Here are five ways physicians can build better patient relationships.

How Nurse Practitioners Can Fill the Gap in Primary Care

By: Jennifer Clark | On: February 8, 2017

The demand for primary care is increasing, largely due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which granted healthcare access to many who were previously uninsured or underinsured.

A study conducted by Association of American Medical Colleges projected the demand for physicians to increase by 11 percent to 17 percent between 2013 and 2025. While demand for this type of care is increasing, the current trend shows a shortage of primary care physicians.

What can private practices do to ensure they can continue to meet the needs of their patients? One way is to tap into the skills of nurse practitioners to help fill in these gaps.

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners reports that there are more than 222,000 nurse practitioners (NP) licensed in the U.S. NPs are considered advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) which allows them to assess patients, make diagnoses and prescribe medication, with or without physician oversight dependent on location.

This article will explore the benefits these clinicians can bring to your practice and how they can help you meet the growing demand for care.