This quote from
Theodore Roosevelt sums up the four part series on Creating Positive Outcomes
for Patients, which I started on January 5. My desire to write this series came
about because I was fed up from watching another week of screwy situations
where patients didn’t get the care they needed.
When I asked
colleagues and friends alike about what they would recommend to improve patient
outcomes, some had excellent suggestions. However, most just identified more
issues with our health care system and pretty much said it was just “too big,”
or “that’s the way its always been.”
However,
everyone can do something to improve patient outcomes, regardless of income
level, or whether you are a medical provider, friend, patient or community. As
I wrote on Jan. 5, My goal is to identify straight forward approaches that
have minimal or no costs associated with them, are effective based on research
and/or from those with extensive experience working in the field, and can be
easily implemented in a variety of settings. For the most part, the recommendations in this four part
series do not require that much money relatively speaking.
Note that at the
end of this post are the links to the four part series Creating Positive
Outcomes for Patients. Each part identifies Five Things a piece that Community,
Patients, Family/friends and Hospitals can do. Please go to these posts for
detailed information.
As I wrote these
posts, there were certain suggestions that were relevant for all four groups,
with the leading one being advocacy. Whether it’s self -advocacy, being “a
friend with a pen,” or helping to organize volunteer advocates for those most
in need, some type of advocacy was recommended across the board.
Due to our
mobile, as well as aging society, an increasing number of people are finding
themselves in positions were they don’t have a family/friend that can speak for
them in the event of an emergency, and/or are not close by to help them if the
need arises for hospitalization, recovery or end of life care. Consequently,
regardless of the position we are in today, we continually need to assess our
situations, be clear about what we want and form agreements to help one
another.
“Responding” was recommended across the
board. Family, friends and community members want to be helpful when someone is
sick or injured, but they aren’t always sure how to go about it. The clearer
patients can be about what they need the better the response. Hospitals and community
groups can make a big difference by training and using volunteers to provide an
array of programs that meet patient need.
Organizing was
another element for all groups. It could be organizing support, such as
creating a Lotsa Helping Hands for a patient or community group, organizing
information so patients know what resources exist in their community and have a
good understanding of their medical situation, or the patient organizes their
thoughts about what they want for care.
Information
gathering, distribution and presentation-be it community resources, condition
specific materials or who offers what at the hospital-are very important. All
groups need to be aware of the following:
• The
internet is the way many people get their information. Act accordingly by
providing information that is on-line and includes local resource information
and links to appropriate condition specific sites, e.g. the American Heart
Association. Keep the site current, updating on a monthly basis. While
hospitals by and large have done this, many community groups have not.
Considering that 99% of the time a person with a chronic condition is in
community and not in a health setting, community groups without a website or
social networking (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Blogs) need to reconsider how they
are reaching people. Further, many hospital sites are written well above the
literacy level of patients so they aren’t being used the way they should be.
Finally, the social networking aspects of the web are rapidly becoming the ways
many communicate. For many, a picture, or cartoon, along with a line or two is
all they are looking for. Think about this when you do your outreach.
• Fraud and
scams abound on the internet. Simply put, if it sounds to good to be true it
probably is.
• Whenever
possible offer several types of information in print format. Keep in mind
literacy level. While the general rule is the simpler the better, there are
those that do not care for the “dummied down” version. Also offer materials in
different languages.
We all
do best if we take care of selves. This can be: appropriate staffing levels at
hospitals; family and friends participating in care giver support programs; and
patients taking the responsibility seriously of managing their health and well
being. The more mindful we are, the better we will be in caring for others and
ourselves.
The
recommendations I’ve made are not earth shattering. You’ll find no overhauling
of patient records, implementing new billing systems, adding new equipment or
sweeping reforms. Instead these are fairly straightforward ideas to try within
our existing communities. If
this sounds too simplistic, think of the “The Butterfly Effect” in Chaos
Theory-something that seems very small can make a substantial change to a large
complex system.
We have to start
somewhere, so the change begins with you and me.
