Modern Healthcare: How Hospitals Everywhere are Improving Patient Care

In recent years, new medical advances such as new technologies, prescription drugs and modern medical practice have improved patient care and healthcare outcomes. As a result, the bar for patient care has raised. Patients have higher expectations for healthcare delivery and seek the best healthcare treatments for their illnesses. With this in mind, hospitals are using new medical technological innovations and initiatives to improve patient care.

Hospital Initiatives

Throughout the country, Hospitals and Healthcare Administrators are introducing new research and healthcare initiatives for improving patient care. The following list includes a few techniques that hospitals are using to improve patient care.

Patient Autonomy and Physical Environment

A Utah hospital, Intermountain Medical Center, has developed pilot rooms that are equipped with advanced electronic devices such as iPad that allow patients to adjust their physical environment to their personal comfort. For example, with the hospital iPad patients are able to control their room temperature and summon their medical providers for assistance when necessary.

Patient Therapy and Art

At Lennox Hill Hospital, patients are able to participate in Arts and Crafts and music based therapy. At Lennox, volunteers take arts and crafts carts to any patients who request them. Research shows that art therapy has been effective in relieving pain of pediatric cancer patients.

Innovation and Collaboration

Boston Children’s Hospital provides the facility’s staff members with a platform to create and develop ideas for improving patient care. At Boston Children’s Hospital, all staff members have access to a designated working area where they are able to collaborate and brainstorm innovative ideas for improving patient care.

Robotic Doctors

Robo Doc- Researchers at John Hopkins University conducted a study with the objective to see how patients reacted to “rounding robots.” Using a joystick, human doctors are able to operate the rounding robot from anywhere in the world via the Internet and Wifi. On the Robo Doc, the doctor’s face appears on the robot’s screen and he/she is able to interact with the patient through the video connection. The purpose of Robo Doc is to make it more convenient for both patients and doctors to interact and communicate when the physicians are not at the hospital. The results of this study indicated that 80% of the patients who participated in the study felt that Robo Doc would increase their accessibility to their primary physicians. In addition, 76% of the patients who participated in the study reported that they believed Robo Doc would enable their physicians with the ability to provide more on-call medical information.

Higher Education and Interdisciplinary Collaboration

With new, innovative technologies, career advancement and higher education has become more convenient for medical professionals to obtain. For instance, nurses are now able to earn a master’s of science in nursing online while completing clinical work within the hospital setting. In order to adjust efficiently to the continuous changes of patient care delivery, medical professionals must obtain higher education.

In order to improve patient care, hospitals and health administrators across the country seek interdisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals such as Board certified Behavioral Analysts and registered nurses who are able to help physicians deliver a more holistic approach to treatment. The demand for Board Certified Behavioral Analysts is on the rise, as these professionals have the ability to assist medical researchers and health administrators in evaluating the progress of patients in their medical treatments.

 Overall, new technological advances have opened the door to innovations within the healthcare industry. Hospitals everywhere are using technology as a platform to improve patient care and promote the continuous education of medical professionals. Innovative healthcare initiatives and interdisciplinary collaboration between medical professionals are fundamental to improving patient care.