What a difference a week makes. We are in a new world that is adapting to life during a pandemic. Amidst so many challenges, every one of us should be encouraged by the tireless work and commitment by the healthcare professionals on the frontlines of treating patients. Their efforts inspire me and everyone at pCare to support their work in the face of unprecedented difficulties.
Leveraging tools to support collaborative care and patient education during the COVID-19 pandemic can contribute to efforts to mitigate both disease and health system burden. As our team engages with the individual hospitals, health systems and outpatient providers we serve, below is a checklist that can help every provider ensure their IPC tools are effectively put to work:
- Discharge Education CareFlows. Include handwashing education. By starting video education early and reinforcing it throughout the stay, patients can adopt new routine practices that reflect the important role good hygiene plays in avoiding post-discharge infections and readmissions.
- Real-Time Feedback CareFlows. With the continued limited availability of diagnostic testing, differentiating between novel coronavirus and other viral conditions can be challenging. Using on-screen displays to query patients about symptoms can help healthcare teams identify which patients are potentially impacted by COVID-19 and activate alerts for a more detailed staff intervention.
- Meds-to-Beds CareFlow. As healthcare teams work to limit the spread of COVID-19, activating meds-to-beds can eliminate one trip to the pharmacy and help patients and families practice social distancing. This immediate benefit builds on others, including:
- Addressing SDOH barriers that could be preventing access to a pharmacy
- Increasing adherence to medication therapy
- Decreasing avoidable readmissions triggered by medication non-adherence.
- Increasing patient satisfaction by providing a convenient service.
- Telemedicine. Federal and state policymakers are responding to the crisis by expanding coverage for healthcare provided through telemedicine. Leverage the telemedicine capabilities of your IPC platform to enable interactions between patients, families and providers, and limit in-person interactions that can create potential new exposures.
Our team is working closely with our clients to learn what’s most needed during the COVID-19 pandemic and create responsive solutions. I invite our clients to reach out directly to your pCare representative to share insights or requests. In the meantime, I hope you’ll be able to leverage these four strategies through your system to help providers and families manage through the pandemic.
David Bennett, CEO pCare
