As recent Hurricanes Michael and Florence prove, natural disasters pose extraordinary challenges to physicians and other healthcare providers, who must be available to ensure patients can manage their physical needs — especially chronic conditions such as diabetes.
But what’s less-talked about, though equally important, are the unique mental healthcare challenges that must be addressed in the aftermath of a natural disaster — not just among patients who regularly interface with mental health providers, but also those who find themselves in need of psychiatric services for the first time.
Mental-health illnesses and conditions, such as PTSD, chronic depression, addiction and anxiety are commonly reported after a traumatic event. And often times, people don’t realize the trauma they’ve experienced until weeks or even months after a hurricane, flood, fire or other event has passed.
There are other potential issues, such as the flooding of transportation routes, that can exacerbate healthcare-access problems. And because resources are so limited, patients’ behavioral health needs can fall by the wayside.
While traditional behavioral health providers — psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, etc. — are not necessarily as accustomed to using digital technology tools as primary-care doctors are, these can be a lifeline for engaging with patients when roads are closed.
Here, we’ll take a look at three of the best digital tools to ensure continuity of care, if and when a hurricane, flood or earthquake strikes:
Electronic Health Record (EHR) Systems
As many physicians know, an EHR can completely transform how patient care is delivered across an entire health system.
Likewise, for behavioral health professionals, a cloud-based EHR represents a great opportunity to become more efficient and, with new legislation being worked, receive financial incentives for implementing the technology. While there is still lingering hesitation on adopting EHR systems to share data because of the updated CFR 42 (Part 2), which places stricter rules on how substance abuse patient records can be shared, most healthcare communications technology is built to accommodate privacy requirements.
During times of need, the benefits of an EHR are clear and unmatchable: They’re far more effective in keeping patient records safe and secure (so providers don’t have to worry about damage during flood, fire, or any other weather event).
So if disaster strikes, a behavioral health provider can get up and running much more quickly — and back to helping patients.
Patient Portals
Patient portals are another underutilized tool that can be a lifeline for behavioral health providers post-disaster.
As long as the provider can get an Internet connection — whether through an analog wireless cell signal, satellite link or cable system — they can use a patient portal to streamline communication with an entire patient base.
Providers are able to send secure messages to multiple patients simultaneously, while still keeping each patient’s unique issues completely confidential and at no risk of being exposed publicly. We’ve heard several stories of physicians who were able to send personalized messages to their patients immediately after a hurricane, without worrying about a breach of security (e.g., a patient hitting “reply all”).
Also, portals enable easy electronic prescribing, helping to ensure patients who are reliant on medication are able to receive the treatment they need.
Telehealth Platforms
Telehealth is quickly becoming a valuable tool throughout the healthcare industry, and likewise in behavioral health.
In large part due to its convenience and ease of use, telehealth is an ideal remote platform to host virtual psychiatric consultations. All that’s needed is a camera (through a phone, tablet, etc.) and a secure Internet connection, and any patient can still “see” his or her provider through any digital interface.
In post-disaster times, this accessibility is incredibly valuable, especially for the most impacted patients. Not to mention, telehealth has also proven incredibly useful in providing cost-effective care that generates more positive outcomes and helps to reduce the traditionally negative stigmas that surround behavioral health.
Individuals have enough things to worry about when a hurricane, flood or fire occurs. Healthcare, both physical and mental, shouldn’t be one of them. With the right tools, providers can eliminate care gaps and help address patients’ behavioral and physical health in their greatest times of need.