Ideas to Put Patients First

When you bring up the subject of health care in America, many people immediately think about the political aspect of it. “Obamacare” has become front and center in the dialogues of the medical community, lawmakers, and consumers. On the other side of the coin, there are people who are urging us to not forget about the patients and putting their needs first.

There are many people who would prefer that healthcare not be a business, but in a country like the U.S. where the business of healthcare reaches into billions of dollars, it would be a long and treacherous road to make healthcare free for all. However, in all of this grasping for business and profits, there are those who have forgotten why healthcare is there in the first place.

Fortunately, advocates of putting patients first are getting their voices heard thanks to the Internet. Conversations are taking place on social networks about patient safety, and information is being spread much easier and quicker. There are also organizations like Planetree, which was founded by Angelica Thieriot, that are qualifying hospitals and nursing homes as providing true patient-centered care.

The current system has reached a tipping point, and now more than ever we need solutions to alleviate the ever-increasing frustrations of patients. What can be done?

Here are a few ideas to put patients first:

Create an environment that is conducive to healing; Have comfortable beds, private and quiet rooms, colorful art on the walls, and put in sofas for visiting friends and family members.

Recruit caring employees. Naturally, we assume that a person decides on entering the medical field because they care about people and want to help them, but that’s not necessarily always the case. Look for people who genuinely want to create a positive experience for patients.

Communicate and be transparent. There are still many hospitals and medical professionals who want to hide their mistakes. If a mistake is made, be open and honest with patients. Let them know what happened and what you are doing to correct the problem. The more you try to hide mistakes, the more likely you will be sued for malpractice.

Continue to educate staff and promote patient safety. If errors are made, take the necessary steps to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. Have periodic meetings and training about patient safety and obtain feedback from everyone on ways to improve systems and processes.

What other ideas do you have to put patients first?