In the excerpt below, from HIMSS, this article talks about the importance and value of improving communication between caregivers and patients.

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“In healthcare, communication between the caregiver and the patient is essential to high-quality outcomes and the improved satisfaction of both the provider and the patient.  Writing for the Oschner Journal, Fong and Longnecker explain that, “effective doctor-patient communication is a central clinical function in building a therapeutic doctor-patient relationship, which is the heart and art of medicine. This is important in the delivery of high-quality healthcare.” (Fong & Longnecker)

However, as the American Hospital Association reminds us, “today’s healthcare environment makes good communication among patients, families, and caregivers harder and harder to achieve. Hospital stays are shorter, medical care is more technologically complex, resources are constrained, and there is a growing need for patients and families to have more information about, and involvement in, care decisions.” (AHA)

IT Use Enhances Communication between Caregiver and Patient

The use of IT has significantly enhanced achievement of that communication level. Patient portals are widely used, telehealth technologies are supporting communication between provider and patient in the patient’s home and/or in local community care centers, and mobile health technologies make access to patient information available anytime and anywhere.”

Read the full story on HIMSS.org