"They found a lump..." Connecting to the Patient Experience
“Good morning, what floor are you visiting today?” I said, greeting the woman as she entered into the elevator. “Second floor, thank you”, she answered with a seemingly forced smile. It was evident in her voice and demeanor that something was troubling her. I decided it was not the appropriate time for my typical elevator chat, so I simply replied, “My pleasure”. We proceeded to the second floor. Just as the elevator stopped, she looked up to me and said with an unsettling voice, “They found a lump”. The door opened and the Mammography department came into view, awaiting her visit. I felt helpless. I’m not a clinician, what advice could I possibly give her? “You’re in the right place, we have an amazing team here that is ready to take great care of you”, I assured her as she prepared to exit the elevator. “Thank you”, she replied, this time with a bit more comfort in her smile.
We are all Care Providers
From the bedside to the data center, we are all committed to the same mission. I’m not a clinician and I cannot give medical advice, but I can always be helpful and empathetic. My badge displays my IT title, but to our patients I am an HCA care provider. In order to better serve our patients, we not only have to be empathetic but we also have to understand how our technical decisions impact our clinicians and ultimately, our patients. Before we make a "minor" change to a server, before we decide a ticket is not a high priority, before we make decisions that we (IT) think are best for the facility...we must understand the why and how it will affect patient care.
The Comfort of Technology
Our patients and their visitors are often anxious, nervous, confused or possibly experiencing one of the worst days of their life. Want to know how to quickly elevate a patient’s anxiety? Technical difficulties. Think about it, if you are on a plane and suddenly the pilot announces, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have some technical difficulties...” would you still feel completely safe on that plane? The same goes for the technology we put in front of our patients. Whether it’s simply a keyboard in the patient room or the status tracker in the visitor waiting area, inoperable technology elevates concerns for unsafe or degraded levels of care. Technology is a contributing factor to the patient experience.
Know your Role
Every HCA employee plays a part in the clinical outcomes and satisfaction of our patients; this absolutely includes IT&S. We should challenge ourselves to truly understand how our work improves human life and why it is critical to make sure our technology is highly available. As leaders, we also have a responsibility to help our teams understand this connection.
A video was shared with me many years ago, and it continues to motivate and humble me each time I watch it. I would encourage you to take a look at this short, yet powerful video and share with your team. https://youtu.be/cDDWvj_q-o8
