Patient Experience

Orlando Health made special travel arrangements so a patient in its pediatric intensive care unit did not miss an important life milestone: his high school graduation, reports Fox 35 Orlando.

Most clinicians and executives believe that financial rewards tied to risk reduction are the best strategy to engage patients in their health goals, according to an NEJM Catalyst patient engagement survey.

Benjamin Schwartz, MD, a gynecological surgeon at Northwell Health's Southside Hospital in Bayshore, N.Y., implemented an additional step to standard preoperative protocols: He emails patients' loved ones to learn more about them before surgery.

Financial rewards to motivate healthy patient behaviors are most effective when they come from employers, according to an NEJM Catalyst Insights Council survey.

When it comes to engaging patients in their health goals, support from friends and family outranks support from clinicians or financial rewards, according to an NEJM Catalyst patient engagement survey.

All patients, particularly minorities and less educated, benefit from a physician sharing the notes of outpatient visits, according to a study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

With health systems serving as hubs of both health and healthcare in the communities they serve, it is more important than ever to engage patients during their hospital stay and throughout their care journey.

To improve patient experience, healthcare employees must always keep patients' needs top of mind, Ghazala Q. Sharieff, MD, corporate vice president and chief experience officer at San Diego-based Scripps Health, wrote in an article for Harvard Business Review.

Most people with employer-sponsored insurance are generally happy with their health plans, but many still struggle with healthcare affordability, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation/Los Angeles Times survey.

Spending 10 minutes with a therapy dog can help reduce distress among patients who are waiting for emergency treatment, according to a study published in Patient Experience Journal.