The Importance of Patient Care

Healthcare providers’ credibility is reflected in whether or not their patients are healing or not. That’s no surprise because that’s exactly what people want from a medical service. However, to achieve favourable outcomes for their health, patients must actively participate in the treatment plan as well as strictly follow the physician’s prescriptions.

So, how do you inspire patients to take part in the process, especially when a healthcare environment often proves intimidating for many of them? Through quality patient care.

The NHS Patient Experience Framework (2012) and NHS Quality Board emphasise the importance of involving patients in shared decision-making related to their care and treatment, where compassion is the key. It also seeks to promote the involvement of patients’ friends and family on whom the patients depend on for accommodation of needs, demonstrating awareness, and decision-making.

Therefore, patient care and satisfaction are becoming top priorities for healthcare executives.

In this guide, we’ll take you through the importance of patient care.

Enhances Patient Engagement

One of the most important reasons why quality patient care translates into successful treatments is that it increases patient engagement. When healthcare providers treat patients as unique individuals, the patients, their families, or other caretakers are more likely to get involved in the treatment process.

The AHRQ also reported that by working on clinical indicators associated with patient care, healthcare facilities can improve numerous health-related outcomes including emotional health, pain control, physiological measures, symptom resolution, and functional status.

When healthcare providers develop a relationship with the patient, they won’t hesitate to ask questions and be more likely to comply with the recommended treatment plans because they’ll have more confidence in the people taking care of them.

More Loyal Patients

Like in any other business, when customers receive exceptional service, they’d keep coming back to it. As opposed to other casual buys, healthcare services are pretty sensitive. When people experience extraordinary patient care, they’ll stay loyal to it for as long as the service quality remains consistent. On the other hand, failing to meet a patient’s expectations means you’ll lose them forever.

Good patient care can be as simple as healthcare staff asking patients what name they prefer to be called by, addressing any fears or worries they might have, providing enough opportunity to their family or guardians to talk to the doctor, caring and helping after they’ve left the hospital, etc.

Pulls in New Patients

When it comes to seeking a healthcare service, people rely on referrals from family and friends more than anything else. While advertisements do help market your service, word-of-mouth or personal recommendations are an entirely different story. If not other experiences, people want to share their healthcare experiences. On average, happy patients share their positive experience with 5 other people.

Unfortunately, it works the other way round too, and in many cases, more harshly. Negative experiences are more often shared and with deeper emotions. A dissatisfied patient will complain to at least 9 other people, on average. With the arrival of social media and review platforms, like Yelp, that number can reach massive heights.

The same digital platforms can also help you achieve skyrocketing growth if you deliver quality patient care. While one might consider the official, government-sponsored ratings as authentic, social media and review platforms provide additional insights about the level of comfort, attitude of the doctor, quality of communication etc.

Only a handful of positive reviews and healthcare ratings can bring in an enormous number of patients because social media platforms and sites like Yelp attract huge online traffic. Hence, personal recommendations on and off the internet prove much more efficient and cost-effective than other marketing tactics.

Nothing is More Special Than Good Patient Care

Mike Comer, the Founder and CEO of Wound Care Advantage, published a blog titled ‘Finding What You Hate’, in which he shared his own feelings and those of his family when his father received poor patient care during his last days in cancer. The experience formed the reason for his launching his healthcare company, through which he seeks to counter the problem he personally faced.

While a healthcare organisation may consider their job as any other business service, the quality of care means a lot to patients. To them, nothing seems more special than receiving good patient care. Thus, taking good care of patients isn’t just about getting good reviews and ratings from clients and growing the business, but it’s also the right thing to do from an ethical perspective.

If they reflect upon their past, most medical practitioners and other staff would realize that they entered the industry to help people. As the medical practice becomes a routine, it’s easy to get numb and let the importance of patient care slip off their minds. The healthcare facility should think of ways to remind this to all healthcare staff, perhaps through the use of signage. Not only will this reinforce the drive to take care of patients but also let the patients know that the entire organisation is committed to ensuring consistent patient care.

Closing Thoughts

With the right mindset, the medical staff in any healthcare facility can play a vital role in delivering high-quality patient care. For any healthcare facility, the responsibility starts from hiring the right medical staff.

Careline Solutions helps you recruit the most capable healthcare staff, including Registered Care Managers, Registered Nurses, and Ancillary staff. To ensure that it meets the needs of the service user, our staff attends rigorous, practical training that’s updated regularly to ensure the latest patient care practices.

Whether you’re an NHS Hospital, a Private hospital, or a Nursing home, we’re here to supply you with experienced healthcare staff. To get in touch, fill out our contact form.

A senior citizen with his care worker

Working as a Carer can be challenging but at the end of the day – it is extremely rewarding. A care worker’s job is to look after vulnerable clients and improve the quality of their life. It may sound easy, but not everyone is equipped to do that. If you’re wondering what qualities a good care taker possesses, you’ve come to the right place.

Passion

Perhaps the most important quality of a good care worker is their passion. You’ll only excel at what you do if you’re passionate about it. As a care worker, you should have the passion to help people who need your support. Your dedication and passion will help you put others before yourself. Despite all the pressure, you will focus on the clients and the difference you are making.

Experience

The more experience you have as a care assistant, the better you will be at helping other people. If you are a Carer, you need practical experience to get better at what you do. Think about it— everyone would want to go for a Carer who has experience dealing with other people over someone who is new to the field.

Friendliness

It is essential for a good care worker to always have a friendly demeanour. You have to be understanding, empathetic, and kind to the people around you when you’re working as a Carer. If you are easy to get along with, the people around you will start trusting you and will feel safe in your presence.

Before reacting to any situation, put yourself in your client’s shoes. How would you feel if this was happening to you? And more importantly, how would you react in the same situation? This will allow you to be more understanding and you will be able to give your client the support they need. This will help you develop a better working relationship with your clients.

Communication

A good care worker also has to be open to communication. It is your job as a care worker to always let your client know that you are willing to listen, communicate, and work on your relationship. A good level of communication ensures a long-lasting relationship.

A healthy level of communication will ultimately make it easier for you and your client to understand each other better and make things easier for the both of you. Make it obvious to your client that you are always there for them. This way, they will never feel uncomfortable when talking to you, and both of you will have a much better, more understanding relationship.

Attentiveness

A big part of your job is to simply listen. If you are working as a Carer, you always have to be attentive to your client’s moods and whereabouts. Your client may be used to feeling isolated and this is why it is your job to give them company. Humans are social beings and need others around them to feel heard and validated. Besides being physically present for your clients, it is vital for you, as a care worker, to always be attentive to your client’s needs.

Sense of Humour

Many may not realize this but a sense of humour is essential when you are working as a Carer. Laughter can truly be the best medicine for people who are suffering from health issues. A good care worker will always know the right time to make their client smile – even if it is just for a while.

Positivity

A positive attitude can do wonders – not just for you, but for your client, too. Working as a care assistant is not always easy and, like any other job, it comes with hardships and different challenges. Because Carers spend so much time with their clients, they develop a bond with them. So, it is not always easy for them to see their client’s suffer when they are unwell. You should not only be positive yourself but also remind them to stay positive as and when needed. Positiveity can be infectious and, sooner or later, your client will start feeling better.

Going the Extra Mile

One of the most important qualities of a good care worker is that you have to roll with whatever comes your way. As a care worker, you may not have regular hours. Whether your client is unwell or simply wants you to stay with them while you might have other plans, you will always have to prioritize their needs. Going the extra mile can include learning more about the client’s past and getting to know their family.

Open-Mindedness

Open-mindedness is another key quality that a support worker must have. You are bound to work with people who come from different backgrounds, have different religious beliefs, and lead a completely different lifestyle than yourself. Make sure you always remain unbiased and give them the care they deserve under your supervision. Do not let your own judgements and biases get in the way of the support you provide to people in need. Remember, as a Carer, it is your job to make your client feel comfortable and valued at all times.

Patience

It is hard to see other people in pain, whether they’re suffering from a psychological problem or a physical one. You always need to remain calm to make sure your client is at ease. For example, a client with dementia may tend to repeat things and ask the same questions over and over again. Dealing with such a situation will require a lot of patience on your part, which is why you should only apply for a care assistant job if you have the temperament for it.

A good care worker will always remain calm under pressure and think critically when they need to. To learn more about care assistant jobs, visit our website today.