No one likes feeling like they are just a number of a statistic. When patients use your ASC for a procedure, they want to feel like they are valued as individuals, not part of a treatment conveyor belt. You should strive to make sure every patient receives personalized care and leaves your facility feeling that they were treated with dignity and individualized attention to ensure their health and satisfaction.
Why Is Personalized Care Important?
Patients feel more comfortable and are more confident in the medical team when they believe their health care team sees them as individuals. The more personalized their care, the more relaxed they will be, which aids in recovery.
Patients who recover quickly because of personalized care will recommend your ASC to their friends and family. The next time they need a procedure that can be performed at your facility, they will be likely to return rather than find a different ASC. Patients don’t like to face the unknown, so providing exceptional care will create loyal, return patients when they need their next procedure.
Get Personal
The first person talking to a new patient should always ask the patient how they’d like to be addressed.
Younger patients may want to be called by their first names. Older patients may prefer to be addressed by their honorific and last name (Mrs. Thompson, Dr. Walsh). Once you’ve established what someone chooses to be called, note the information in their records so that everyone uses the same name and is consistent.
Flag Risks
One of the essential elements of personalized care is being familiar with the many situations unique to each patient that could affect their recovery. Using a system that flags each patient’s risk factors and keeps their clinical history front and center enables your staff to ask about and confirm relevant information quickly and easily. One Medical Passport’s Patient Tracking Boards give every member of your ASC team real-time access to specific patient information throughout their stay, so you are on top of potential problems before they start.
Create Care Consistency
It’s easier for ASCs to create care schedules that allow patients to talk to and interact with the same team throughout their treatment. If patients need to meet with their surgeon and anesthesiologist before a procedure taking place later in the week, make sure they meet with the actual people who will be performing the procedures. In many hospitals, patients never actually meet their surgeon until after their surgery, then never see them again. Instead, focus on a continuum of care that helps patients feel comfortable and safe by putting them at ease. Patients are more at ease if they are familiar with their treatment team.
Ask and Answer Questions
It’s easy for ASC staff to get into a routine and assume patients’ needs are being met. Don’t fall into the trap of going through each step of a procedure like a robot. Explain to your patient each time you do anything, from taking a temperature to administering an IV. Ask them if they have any questions and answer them honestly. Pay attention to their comfort levels. Something as simple as asking if they would like an extra blanket will let them know you care. If someone asks for a glass of water but can’t have fluids, explain why with kindness. Never forget that, while you know what is happening and why, most patients don’t. Alleviate their fears.
Encourage Patient Engagement
Making your patients active participants in their own care leads to greater satisfaction. Use all the tools at your disposal, including easy pre-registration, online educational materials, and follow-up text messages, to put the reins in the hands of your patients. Feeling in control of their health and knowing you are checking with and educating them every step of the way will ease patient fears.
Personalized care is more important than ever for ASCs as competition for patients continues to grow. Make sure every patient who walks through your doors leaves feeling well-cared for and respected by giving them personalized care and compassion.
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