Part of having a successful career as a travel nurse is keeping your patients directly involved in their own well-being. Not only does this help the patient recover more quickly from their conditions, but it also makes your job much more rewarding to see your efforts impacting the health of your patient.
Although all medical personnel should make patient engagement a priority, nurses spend a lot of face-to-face time with patients, so it’s crucial for them to hone these skills. Understanding what motivates your patients can help foster a better managed and streamlined workflow as well.
What science says about patient engagement
A 2011 Commonwealth Fund study that was conducted in in 11 countries assessed the levels of patient engagement. In all of these countries, patients that reported positive communication and engagement were more likely to rate their care as “excellent” or “very good.”
According to the survey results, patients from the U.S. noticed this correlation more than any other country with 78 percent rating their care highly after being more involved in their medical treatments. Additionally, the study concluded that patient engagement can also result in fewer medical errors and a more positive view of the health care system as a whole.
Moreover, value-based care is becoming more pervasive in the U.S. health system, which means that travel nurses will need to be more aware of their patient engagement skills than ever. Patient wellness, a focus on preventative techniques and the treatment of chronic conditions are also major guidelines set by several leading medical organizations. As a result, travel nurses need to take the extra steps needed to better connect with patients. Here are the top five best ways to do so:
1. Increasing family participation: Those that are closest to the patient are going to have greater insights into medical history. Additionally, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, several hospitals have created strategies that allow patients and their families to access medical records or patient portals to get the entire family involved in their loved one’s health care. Patients are simply going to feel more comfortable when they know that the people who mean the most to them – their family – are involved in their wellness.
2. Confidentiality is a must: Patients should feel confident enough in their nursing staff to maintain their patient rights and give information regarding their health status. Nurses must understand when they are supposed to step up and help the patient when needed, and also know when it’s more appropriate to give your patients the space to make decisions about their well-being. Knowing which instances are appropriate for emotional support is going to help patients become more empowered in their own health literacy without becoming overwhelmed.
3. Make patient advocacy a priority: Every patient is going to have a different background, medical history, fears, cultural beliefs and experiences that shape their impression of medical care. Understanding these influences is going to be very important for finding strategies in patient engagement, according to the American Sentinel. A patient’s background and history is especially important when treating an individual with a chronic illness. In these cases, every small step is needed to ensure that the patient meets his or her goals, and you will need to have a good understanding of the patient’s background to help them self-monitor and manage their own health.
4. Reach out to other medical professionals for guidance: Patient engagement and satisfaction have become very important topics in the health care industry. As a result, several new roles in the medical field have been developed so that nurses can foster patient engagement, such as patient navigator or case manager. If you find that you want to make patient engagement the focus of your career, there’s no better time to explore these options than now.
However, travel nurses can reach out to local contacts and their medical staffing service if they ever need extra assistance with their patients. It’s important to know that even if you work remotely as a nurse, you are still on a team and have the right resources available to better serve your patients.
5. Don’t rely too heavily on technology: There have been some remarkable achievements in health IT over the past few years, but none of these advancements will replace the all-important bedside manner needed for patient wellness. As much as the health care industry relies on things like electronic health records and patient portals, you still have a responsibility to bring human-centric care to your patients, regardless of the tech innovations available.
Patient engagement has become an essential component of quality care for travel nurses. To see your patients succeed, be sure to follow these tips so that patients and their family members are more knowledge about wellness and their medical choices.