At the Becker's Hospital Review 5th Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 15, Bridget Duffy, MD, CMO at San Jose, Calif.-based Vocera and the first chief experience officer at Cleveland Clinic discussed how to use data to improve the patient experience.
Healthcare should be focused on meeting the quadruple aim, "person-centered, cost, quality and joy," said Dr. Duffy. Along with helping with clinical care, healthcare organizations' technology should address patients' emotional and spiritual needs, help put physicians and nurses back at the bedside, improve physician and nurse communication, engage patients and families and create consistent care, added Dr. Duffy.
Technology can be used to help map the human experience, which includes a patient's first impression upon coming to a hospital, the care they receive while there and their last impression. "Put science and data behind the human experience," said Dr. Duffy. This involves reviewing data, including well-formulated patient satisfaction surveys, to address gaps in the human experience. That will drive "growth and loyalty" in an institution, added Dr. Duffy.
Technology should not make physicians "less human," it should be used to help physicians and nurses get "back at the bedsides of patients," said Dr. Duffy. It is important to work with vendors to ensure technology is not creating more work for physicians that takes them away from their patients or creates meaningless paperwork.
Healthcare organizations can also use technology for post-care connectivity that improves the patient experience, said Dr. Duffy. For example, some institutions now have an app that allows patients to listen to and review their discharge instructions once they go home.
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