Introduction to Healthcare Improvement
Healthcare is a dynamic landscape. Opportunities to improve processes, address concerns and deliver exceptional care experiences are a patient expectation, a regulatory metric and at the heart of the reason many professionals choose to work in healthcare.
The Challenge
Oftentimes, when people encounter healthcare, this includes a surgical visit in an inpatient or outpatient setting. A recent cross-sectional study found more than 11% of respondents reporting that they’d had surgery in the past year. For many in healthcare and especially in the operative setting, surgery is an everyday event – it’s their job, their expertise. But that is surely not the case for the patients.
"The genesis of our process improvement work and the focus and goal of our process improvement is to improve the patient experience, reduce anxiety and fear, and ultimately improve psychological readiness for surgery," said Anita H. Becker, DNP, RN, chief nursing officer at Steamboat Springs, Colorado-based UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center.
Understanding Patient Readiness
"Process improvement in the surgical setting often is focused on the efficiency and effectiveness of patient throughput from the time of scheduling until discharge to home or inpatient," she continued. "In conversations with our patients and their families, certain themes around surgical readiness kept coming up with increasing frequency." Specifically, while conducting routine pre- and post-operative follow-up phone calls and visits, many patients and their caregivers expressed fears and anxieties related to their readiness for surgery.
Proposal
Initially, this work was independent of work being done by Chris Whelchel. Whelchel is founder and CEO of Boulder, Colorado-based HealthTok, a healthcare consulting firm. He completed his doctoral practicum work at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center and shared his passion for technology and innovation, demonstrating exceptional analytical skills and a deep understanding of complex healthcare systems, Becker said.
Leveraging AI Tools
"Prior to the process improvement project, we had not considered leveraging AI tools or ambient technology in our workspace for tackling these types of large data collections or analysis," she explained. "With the tools Chris recommended, we were able to capture not only the data but the tone and themes of the conversations in our focus groups beyond just the dialogue."
Meeting the Challenge
Focus group participants provided candid feedback that helped staff define what "readiness" meant and outline a process for better preparing patients for surgery and beyond. The AI and ambient tools helped put actions in place that will address patients’ needs moving forward. "For example, two very strong themes identified during our focus groups were increased caregiver involvement in pre- and post-operative care and instructions; and, surprisingly, pet care during the surgical period and while in recovery," Becker noted.
Results
In the first quarter following implementation of new workflows and tools, the Quarter 3 patient experience moved to 100%, Becker reported. "We feel certain this was accomplished by implementing tools and processes that came directly from identified trends, themes and suggested AI workflows," she said.
Implementing New Workflows
"These include a new communication protocol, evaluation and renewed utilization of available EHR tools that were not being optimized, and significant change in workflows across the peri-operative departments driven by trends identified during our focus groups," she added.
Advice for Others
Important considerations when choosing experts in this emerging field are many, Becker advised. "First and foremost, it is important to choose an expert with healthcare experience," she said. "A background in our industry allows for a deep understanding of healthcare’s mission while also having the ability to navigate the complexities of our environment specific to regulatory compliance, patient privacy and data security."
Best Practices for AI Implementation
"Other considerations when leveraging AI would be to: clearly define project goals; ensure data quality; evaluate the ability to adapt, scale and monitor any project implementation; and prioritize regulatory compliance," she added. It’s also important to factor in patient trust and experience.
Conclusion
By using a strategic and patient-focused approach, organizations now have the ability to leverage AI responsibly, effectively and ethically to achieve operational efficiency and improve patient experience – and this applies to projects both big and small.
FAQs
Q: What is the goal of process improvement in healthcare?
A: The goal of process improvement in healthcare is to improve the patient experience, reduce anxiety and fear, and ultimately improve psychological readiness for surgery.
Q: How can AI tools be used in healthcare?
A: AI tools can be used to capture data, tone, and themes of conversations in focus groups, and to identify trends and themes to inform process improvement.
Q: What are some important considerations when choosing experts in AI for healthcare?
A: Important considerations include choosing an expert with healthcare experience, clearly defining project goals, ensuring data quality, and prioritizing regulatory compliance.
Q: How can patient trust and experience be factored into AI implementation?
A: Patient trust and experience can be factored in by informing patients about the use of AI, obtaining their consent, and being transparent about how their data will be used.
