How Medical Practitioners Can Improve Patient Outcomes

(Photo : How Medical Practitioners Can Improve Patient Outcomes)

Every medical practitioner that steps into a healthcare setting will want to improve their patients' health and wellbeing. Yet, a lack of training, attention to detail, or using the wrong language could prevent them from doing so.

If a healthcare professional wants to help their patients on the road to recovery as soon as possible and ensure they enjoy great long-term health, they must look for ways to refine their skill set and processes. To avoid readmissions and increase satisfaction, read the below tips on how medical practitioners can improve patient outcomes.

Grow a Skill Set

The healthcare sector depends on passionate, knowledgeable, and skilled medical professionals at every level. To become an expert in a specific field, a practitioner will need to grow their skill set with each passing year. While every working day will provide a doctor or nurse with new challenges or environments, they could proactively boost their knowledge by gaining extra qualifications.

For example, registered nurses could enroll in an online DNP nursing program to become a leader and determine many patients' outcomes in the future. The flexible program will allow them to obtain a leadership career in nursing. For instance, they could become a family nurse practitioner, which could allow them to innovate a practice and improve the patient experience. Other options could include the nurse-midwifery track or executive nurse leadership.

Clear Communication

While a healthcare practitioner might be an expert in their field, they might not have the communication skills to match their knowledge and experience. These soft skills are fundamental to the patient experience. For a medical professional to build trust with each patient they meet, they must articulate the cause of a condition and the benefits of a treatment.

Clear communication cannot only build patient trust, but it could also improve the outcome of various chronic diseases. For instance, their professional insight and advice could help patients to take greater control of their diabetes, make the right lifestyle changes for heart disease, or correctly consume their medication.

A doctor or nurse must ensure a patient understands a treatment or medication. To do so, they must ditch the medical jargon, as it is likely patients will not understand it. Instead, they must talk to them in a vocabulary they will understand.

What's more, they must listen to a patient's concerns or frustrations, which they must attempt to manage to the best of their ability. Even if their worries are not warranted, it is important to make patients feel as if their voice has been heard and factored into a treatment plan. They will be more likely to follow a practitioner's advice, which could help them on the path to recovery at a faster rate.

Set Guidelines and Expectations

Setting clear expectations and guidelines for patients can not only increase the likelihood of them following a doctor or nurse's advice, but it will also shape their perception of a successful outcome. As a result, they will be less likely to return to a hospital or practice with the same health issue, and it could reduce a facility's legal liability.

Many patients will look to a doctor or nurse to set expectations before treatment, as well as during and after their admission. For this reason, healthcare professionals must set expectations at every stage of treatment, which should be based on a patient's ability and current circumstances. It will avoid disappointment with a facility and a medical team while encouraging a patient to follow a care plan to the letter.

Continuity of Care

Medical professionals must not make the mistake of disregarding a patient's health once they have left a hospital or practice. Continuity of care will focus on providing high-quality care over a long period. 

To reduce emergency department visits, additional medical appointments, or hospital readmissions, they should follow-up with various patients to support their recovery at home. By doing so, they could provide advice for a patient's health issues or concerns while improving their satisfaction. 

It can be an effective tactic for patients living with a chronic medical condition, such as heart disease or diabetes, or for those recovering from surgery at home.

Electronic Health Records (EHRs)

Electronic health records (EHRs) will enable medical professionals to access a patient's information at a quick rate. By accessing consumer data at the click of a button, a doctor, nurse, or another healthcare practitioner can:

• Review a patient's previous and existing conditions

• Improve the accuracy of a diagnosis

• Support treatment outcomes

• Decrease or eliminate mistakes

EHRs can also improve communication across departments, as a practitioner can review the information to identify past medical complications, allergies, prescribed medications, and any other relevant information. The records can improve patient safety and refine procedural and operational efficiency.

Provide and Review Patient Satisfaction Surveys

Every healthcare practice should provide patient satisfaction surveys. They can help facilities to make improvements, generate employee performance feedback, and identify various service gaps. It is vital that hospitals and practices review every patient survey to manage potential risks, address weaknesses, and improve the patient experience.  

A Supportive Atmosphere

Conflict and tension could create an antagonistic working environment for clinicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. This could lead to poor communication and collaboration and, as a consequence, inferior patient outcomes. It is essential for every healthcare setting to create a positive working environment, which could result in happier members of staff, a collaborative atmosphere, and, most importantly, better patient care.

If a medical practitioner is struggling with an unsupportive or hostile environment, they should discuss the issue with a senior team member. They can then address the problem and raise the standard of patient care.

Conclusion

Many factors can both determine and improve patient outcomes, from access to EHRs to expanding a skill set and clear patient communication. It is, therefore, important for medical professionals and settings to identify their weaknesses, which could increase patient safety and prevent readmissions. All the above could enhance the patient experience and help a facility to develop a positive reputation in the sector.