Joe Fortuna, MD, chair of ASQ’s healthcare division says customer involvement in healthcare has a great number of benefits, but the problem in healthcare is that it’s not always clear how to get to the better outcomes. This is evident in patient care, says Dr. Fortuna. “The most commonly found piece of trash outside an emergency room is patient instructions,” he says. “A healthcare facility that successfully incorporates customer service makes sure that when patient walks out the door they understand what the next steps are in their care. This leads to a better outcome.”
According to Dr. Fortuna, it’s not that healthcare eschews quality. The way care is currently structured does not adequately consider the patient as a whole. In addition, the basis the patient has for understanding care typically does not consider the needs of the system. “You have a handicap right from the beginning,” says Dr. Fortuna of the mismatch. “Educating consumers starts at least in part at the elementary school level, and we’re only just starting to think this [educational] approach will be of value. It’s systemic.”
While the systemic nature of the problem ensures it’s here to stay, at least for the short term, Dr. Fortuna has a few thoughts on how hospitals can help point healthcare in a customer-oriented direction:
1. Involve consumers in business decisions. If necessary, set up a community advisory board. Involving community members is helpful for assessing health communication on a different level than providers might normally consider, he says. While a hospital might be a welcoming workplace for employees, patients might see things a little differently.
2. Put extra effort into post-discharge communication. “If consumers can’t understand what [providers] are trying to say, compliance will go nowhere,” says Dr. Fortuna. “Ensure people understand their care so they have a basis on which to make correct decisions.”
3. Identify potential areas for consumer-organization conflict and consider compromise. This requires an element of caution: “Don’t promise where you can’t deliver,” says Dr. Fortuna.
4. Accept the landscape is changing, and resolve to stay ahead of the game. Dr Fortuna cautions that work works today may not work tomorrow. It’s in hospitals’ best interests to consider patient preferences and keep them as informed as possible.
“We currently think of quality in one dimension — in clinical realm. The reality is quality has many domains, as in anything else,” says Dr. Fortuna. “We [in healthcare] need to pay more attention to that.”
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