7 Ways Hospitals Can Deliver New Moms an Exceptional Experience
Spring is in the air, Mother's Day is just around the corner, and a whole new crop of mothers who've delivered during the past year will be celebrating for the first time. Naturally, the memories of their delivery experiences will still be fresh in the minds of many of these women. How can hospitals bring an exceptional patient experience to new moms? Here are seven ways caregivers can fuse human interaction and technology to bring a truly exceptional and individualized experience to every new mom.
1. Start with a Good First Impression
Exceed their expectations. Don't worry - the bar is low. Expecting moms have more choice than ever, so a little customer appreciation can go a long way. Let them know you appreciate that they chose your hospital for such an important life moment. A quick phone call can go a long way. Or better yet, how about a "love letter"? Make every mom feel like a VIP!
2. Set the Stage
251 babies are born every minute. Every maternity journey entails a number of variables - clinically, logistically, and emotionally. A lot of anxieties and uncertainties around giving birth are due to a lack of information and a sense of being unprepared for one of life's biggest events. Am I properly registered for my stay? What's going to happen once I check into the hospital? What will my insurance cover? Is photography allowed? Is there a birthing tub? Where's the best place to park? How will my visitors find the maternity ward?
Ensure that each mother has an optimal experience by engaging with them them through the process. Listen to them! Help them plan for the known and prepare for unanticipated events. Devise a roadmap for navigating the complexities of childbirth. Help them feel better prepared by giving them timely information, when they need it, in a format that works for them. Help them realize the value of pre-natal education or a tour of the facility. Send educational content in digestible bits over time. Set expectations for the stay, including the delivery, post-partum services, and departure from the hospital. Setting the stage makes each phase more pleasant and easier to manage.
3. Include Moms at Each Stage of Your Process Improvement Activities
Really! Invite them to give a patient testimonial at a board meeting. They have so much to offer and, when given permission, offer a wealth of ideas. Develop design-workshops where mothers are empowered to work with your staff to develop new and innovative maternity experiences. Mothers are amazingly insightful. Let them help steer you toward clinical or experiential improvements. Being mom-centric means having their voices be part of how you design your services.
4. Include the Family
A new baby is a time for family and friends to gather! Unfortunately, families are often forgotten customers in these situations. The experiences of families are incredibly powerful, and ultimately, those moments will affect how they talk about your health system around the kitchen table or out in their community (not to mention on patient satisfaction surveys). However, families are often discounted when it comes to the importance of well-managed expectations.
Ensure that family members are kept in the loop about developments and next steps. Notice when they need a little extra help or TLC. That may mean ensuring someone other than nurses support these important and often-overlooked customers.
5. Prioritize and Individualize Information
By the time she goes into labor, a new mom has spent about nine months making so many decisions that it's easy for her to get overwhelmed once the big day arrives. Caregivers should be cognizant, not just about the quantity of information provided, but of the quality and how it is provided.
Patients who are more engaged—who feel more in control—in their own care are more willing to openly address concerns and anxieties, ask questions, explore care options and hold themselves accountable regarding quality of life issues.
Every mom is different. First-time moms, for example, may need a lactation consultant, while an experienced mom may need more community support as she transitions to home and work with two kids. Some moms may be susceptible to post-partum depression and will require intervention. Other moms may be without support from loved ones, and will need access to people who can help to manage the first critical weeks after birth. Some need basic support to access clinical care, others need help keeping mother-in-law out of the delivery room. Learn what matters.
It all comes down to viewing the patient as an individual with unique life circumstances that need to be addressed. Is your hospital prepared with both the people and resources to provide moms with the support they need?
6. Anticipate Issues and Use them to Your Advantage
Use your understanding of your own organization's weaknesses to your advantage. If you frequently get complaints about the food, get creative! Maybe surprise the mother (and partner) after 24 hours with a "secret menu" of local restaurants that deliver. It'll look like you knew what she was thinking and magically intervened!
Do you know that the mother is delivering with a physician that consistently receives poor communication scores? Leverage the opportunity to build a relationship. Saying something like "Doctor Mae is one of our best physicians but she can be a little short on communication. Please let me know if there's any questions you have. I've also seen mothers write down questions so they don't forget to ask them, here's a (branded) pen and a note pad." You've taken a problem and now gone on the offensive. An experience impediment is just another opportunity to delight!
7. The Journey Doesn't End with Discharge
The new mom playbook says that maternity is a journey, not an encounter. And just like the journey didn't start when the mom was admitted, the journey certainly doesn't end when a new mom leaves the hospital.
Once a mother returns home, the caregivers that once attended to mom and baby's every need are no longer there. Again, this is an opportunity to assist and shape an amazing experience.
During and after discharge, ensure that mom and baby are prepared for the adventure ahead. Review discharge information, ensure that the new family has all the information they need, and continue follow-up after they have gone home to see if the new family needs help connecting to pediatricians, community and social resources, breastfeeding support, or mother-baby classes. It can be an empathetic phone call or as simple as a text message, depending on the preferences of the mom. The experience isn't isolated to what happens in the hospital. Delivering exceptional home-to-home experiences means engaging early and following through so that relationships can be built.
Today, healthcare is gravitating toward a patient-centered model of care. More and more people are choosing their own health plans and often have a greater financial responsibility for their healthcare choices. It's not enough to simply give new moms—or any patients—greater say in the management of their own health. They need a level of support, empathy, knowledge and guidance that gives them the confidence to make enduring choices about their own healthcare.
Royal Tuthill is the Chief Transformation Officer & co-founder of Docent Health. He is also a father of three.
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