COVID-19 is the kind of world health emergency that the world has not seen in more than a century. Schools closed, public gatherings forbidden, entire countries in lockdown while the news flashes infection rates and death-tolls on a continuous rise. When it comes to a disease like COVID-19, no one is safe – infected either with the infection or the specter of fear of the infection.
Why Patient Experience Monitoring is Important
With almost as many asymptomatic carriers as symptomatic ones, with a varied range of symptoms roping in organs from all over the body that could either all be present or none at all, rampant in warm-humid climates as well as cold ones, going through people of all classes and races, COVID-19 is as unpredictable as an infectious disease could get. Naturally, it is hard being a patient of any kind during a pandemic like this, and the patient experience becomes a big concern.
In such situations, the crisis is not only restricted to physical health but also mental health, for everyone. Because mental health plays a key role in the improvement or maintenance of physical health and is also hugely important during recovery, there is a need to look deeply into patient experience during the times of COVID 19, in order to reassure people and minimize death rates from other diseases that are also equally present today.
For patients infected with COVID 19, of course, a patient feedback system through patient experience survey software can not only improve the vulnerable healthcare system but also save the lives of future patients. There is so much unknown about the disease that information of any kind is helpful in providing key data to hospitals and healthcare professionals in order to give some relief to the stumbling healthcare system of most countries, be it a developing or a developed country.
Thus, Some Key Factors May be Kept in Mind While Managing Patient Experience During COVID-19
Communication: It is very important to keep on communicating with patients both during and after their hospitalization. The biggest problem with infectious diseases, apart from their often fatal nature, is that they completely a-socialize a patient, which hinders both physical and mental healing. Patients with other diseases are also advised to follow physical distance with everyone, including the healthcare professionals and visitors because they too are vulnerable towards COVID 19. Therefore, effective communication with the patients, most importantly two-way communication is very important. Patient feedback apps can be useful in such a scenario.
Information: Another aspect of a pandemic is the mass hysteria and environment of fear that takes hold of the minds of the people because of the lack of information and misinformation. It is very important to protect patients from this because it takes a toll on their body and mind and may even complicate pre-existing conditions because of impulsive decisions. So, it is important to keep patients informed of not only the COVID 19 but also of other diseases that might mimic its symptoms or even of the disease that a patient is diagnosed with that might not have anything to do with the coronavirus. Official information prevents a lot of speculation and is ultimately a good patient experience.
Motivation: Anyone who has ever been sick will assert the fact that motivation is a very important requirement for recovery. Therefore, it is easy to understand why motivation can be beneficial to patient experience during a global pandemic. Even though hospitals and medical staff are in over their heads because of the size of the medical crisis all over the world, they should still ensure that patients are kept motivated throughout their hospital stays and if possible, even after. A creative patient feedback system that collects data and doubles as a motivational and informational platform can really help crunch many tasks into one.
Planning: The most important step towards managing patient experience is thorough and fail-safe planning. Starting right from tertiary medical aspects like clinic hours, scans, tests, and report deliveries to hospitalizations, procedures, therapies, and surgeries – every aspect of every activity of a hospital or health center must be planned and put into action like clockwork. This will not only ensure smooth running and less wastage of precious time and resources but will also allow for minimization of infections inside a medical facility. Such detailed planning is the only way that patients with the COVID 19 infection and other patience can simultaneously be taken good care of.
Conclusion
Patient feedback apps made by piHappiness can really change the game when it comes to managing customer experience and satisfaction. In a time like a pandemic, this feedback could be helpful not only to provide better service to patients but also to ensure their safety and well-being by curating their experience. Only through such interaction can such a safe and uplifting environment be achieved.
