The Real Key to Better Health Care Isn’t Technology
It all starts with communication, the central aspect of a great patient experience
It’s 10 p.m. on a Saturday evening when Cindy arrives at the hospital via ambulance with symptoms of chest pain and nausea. Doctors begin immediately working up her analysis and ordering the tests they’ll need to diagnose her disorder. After the standard “work up,” doctors determine that Cindy has a blockage requiring a cardiac stent. She undergoes surgery and spends nearly a week in the hospital making a full recovery. Her prognosis is excellent and she returns to a normal life in the weeks following her release. It’s a happy ending in a world where similar stories do not always end so happily.
This scenario is nothing new for a hospital and it’s a routine occurrence in an emergency department on a Saturday night. But it was all new for the patient. For Cindy, this was a life-altering experience she’ll remember forever.
A few months following Cindy’s recovery, the hospital’s director of patient experience, Roger, receives a scathing letter from Cindy outlining a number of grievances involving her treatment. Despite the positive outcome of her health condition, Cindy clearly holds a very low opinion of the care she received during her stay.
