The next revolution in health care? Empathy | Paul Rosen | TEDxWilmington
Summary
TLDRThe speaker recounts a personal story of his father-in-law's lung cancer diagnosis and the impersonal hospital experience that followed, highlighting the need for empathy in healthcare. He discusses the frustrations of delayed appointments, emergency room wait times, and the importance of patient comfort during procedures. The talk emphasizes the epidemic of caregiver burnout and its impact on empathy, urging a redesign of the healthcare system centered around patient needs and experiences to improve medical outcomes and satisfaction.
Takeaways
- 👨⚕️ The script highlights the importance of treating patients as individuals, not just medical cases.
- 🏥 The speaker recounts a personal story about their father-in-law's experience with cancer and the impersonal nature of hospital care.
- 📈 The script points out that delays and inefficiencies in healthcare can be frustrating and sometimes harmful to patients.
- 📆 Modern scheduling techniques, such as Q Theory, can help reduce wait times and improve patient access to appointments.
- 🚑 The emergency department's efficiency is crucial, and many hospitals are working to reduce wait times and improve patient flow.
- 🧒 Pediatric care emphasizes comfort and minimizing pain during procedures, which can also apply to adult care.
- 🩺 The script suggests that healthcare professionals should always consider ways to decrease pain and anxiety for patients.
- 🌙 The practice of waking patients early for blood tests is outdated and can be changed with modern technology.
- 🔥 Burnout among healthcare professionals is a significant issue that can affect patient care and needs to be addressed.
- 🤝 Empathy in healthcare is essential, and restoring it can lead to better patient experiences and outcomes.
- 🌟 A healthcare system designed with empathy in mind would prioritize patient comfort, communication, and choice.
Q & A
What was the initial symptom that led to the discovery of Sully's cancer?
-Sully was experiencing pain in his shoulder while swimming, which was initially thought to be tendonitis or another overuse injury.
What was the actual cause of Sully's shoulder pain?
-The shoulder pain was a symptom of a tumor in his cervical spine, which was a result of lung cancer that had metastasized.
How did Sully feel about his treatment in the hospital?
-Sully felt like he was not being treated as a person. He mentioned that hospital staff did not introduce themselves, smile, or explain what they were doing, and he felt like a piece of meat being moved around.
What was the specific issue with Sully's scheduled test involving sedation?
-Sully was supposed to have a test with sedation but was not informed that it had been canceled due to a trauma case, and he was not allowed to eat because of the sedation, which was an oversight by the hospital staff.
What did the speaker reflect on when standing in the hospital family lounge?
-The speaker reflected on the irony of being in a world-renowned hospital with a reputation for excellence, yet his loved one did not feel like he was being treated like a human being.
What historical perspective did the speaker provide regarding patient-centered care?
-The speaker mentioned Henry Ford's 1915 critique of the Henry Ford Hospital, which was designed to fit the needs of physicians rather than patients, and questioned how much progress has been made since then.
What is one modern scheduling technique mentioned to improve patient access to appointments?
-The use of Q Theory to manage patient appointments and reduce wait times.
How are some hospitals addressing delays in the emergency room?
-Some hospitals are tackling delays in the ER by smoothing out their flow upstairs to prevent those delays from impacting the emergency department, and allowing patients to make appointments for the ER online.
What measures can be taken to decrease pain and discomfort during medical procedures?
-Measures include using distraction techniques, numbing cream, nitrous oxide for sedation, and offering comfort measures to decrease pain during procedures.
Why have hospitals traditionally collected blood samples from patients at 4:00 a.m.?
-Traditionally, it took hours to process blood tests, and doctors wanted the lab results for their morning rounds. However, with current technology, blood tests can be processed much faster, eliminating the need for early morning collections.
What impact does caregiver burnout have on patient care?
-Burnout among caregivers can be a barrier to empathy, leading to increased medical mistakes, patients being less likely to take their medications, and poorer disease control.
What is the speaker's vision for a healthcare system designed with empathy?
-The speaker envisions a system where doctors wash their hands 100% of the time, patients have uninterrupted time to tell their story, appointments are readily available, medical advice is accessible via mobile devices, and hospital care focuses on healing, nutrition, sleep, pain control, and communication.
Outlines
🏥 In-Hospital Experiences and the Need for Empathy
The speaker shares a personal story about their father-in-law, Sully, who was diagnosed with cancer after experiencing shoulder pain during swimming. Sully's hospital experience highlighted a lack of personal care, as staff failed to introduce themselves, explain procedures, or acknowledge him as a person. This led to feelings of dehumanization, despite being in a renowned hospital. The narrative points out systemic issues in healthcare where patients' needs are not prioritized, drawing a parallel to Henry Ford's critique from 1915 about hospitals being designed for physicians, not patients. The speaker reflects on common frustrations in healthcare, such as long wait times for appointments and procedures, suggesting that modern scheduling techniques could alleviate these issues.
🩺 Improving Patient Comfort and Decreasing Healthcare Delays
The speaker discusses ways to improve patient comfort, particularly in pediatrics, during procedures like blood draws and IV placements, using distraction, numbing creams, and even the presence of a therapy dog. They emphasize the importance of minimizing pain and fear for both children and adults. The narrative also addresses the outdated practice of waking patients early for blood tests, suggesting that with modern technology, there's no need for such disruptions. The speaker advocates for letting patients sleep and heal, reflecting a broader need to improve the patient experience. Additionally, the paragraph touches on the epidemic of burnout among healthcare professionals, which can hinder empathy, and the need to address this issue to improve patient care.
🌟 Prioritizing Empathy in Healthcare
The speaker calls for a redesign of the healthcare system based on empathy, starting with simple measures like ensuring doctors wash their hands more frequently and allowing patients two minutes to tell their story uninterrupted. They envision a system where appointments are easily accessible, medical advice is readily available through mobile devices, and hospital care is centered around healing, nutrition, sleep, pain control, and communication. The speaker shares an anecdote about parents expressing gratitude for the compassionate care their son received, emphasizing that this should be the standard experience for all patients. The story of Sully, who was not one to accept the status quo, is used to inspire advocating for better healthcare that prioritizes patients' needs.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Empathy
💡Patient Experience
💡Burnout
💡Tumor
💡Healthcare System
💡Procedure
💡Sedation
💡Appointment Scheduling
💡Emergency Room
💡Medical Mistakes
💡Patient-Centered Care
Highlights
In-laws visited for Thanksgiving and father-in-law experienced shoulder pain.
Father-in-law diagnosed with a tumor in his cervical spine from lung cancer.
Lack of personal care and communication during hospital stay led to feelings of dehumanization.
Hospital staff often fail to introduce themselves or explain procedures to patients.
Transport staff do not acknowledge patients as individuals.
Hospital errors in scheduling and communication lead to patient distress.
The need for modern scheduling techniques using Q Theory to improve patient access.
Emergency room wait times are a significant issue in healthcare.
Hospitals are implementing solutions to reduce emergency room delays.
Comfort and pain management during procedures can be improved with various techniques.
Healthcare professionals should consider every way to decrease pain and anxiety for patients.
The practice of waking patients early for blood tests is outdated with modern technology.
Burnout among healthcare professionals is epidemic and affects empathy.
Empathy in healthcare can reduce wait times and improve patient outcomes.
Healthcare systems focusing on empathy make fewer medical mistakes.
A commitment to empathy in healthcare leads to better patient experiences.
Hospital CEOs prioritize improving the patient experience.
Redesigning healthcare with empathy could lead to significant improvements.
The story of Sully, who challenged the status quo and taught the importance of fighting for what you believe in.
The call to demand a healthcare system that puts patients first.
Transcripts
in November 2005 uh my in-laws came over
for Thanksgiving I like my
in-laws this is a different
story after dinner my father-in-law
Sully was telling me that he was having
some pain in his shoulder for the last
few weeks when he was swimming I thought
maybe it was tendonitis or some other
overuse injury and we talked about when
he got home him going to see his regular
doctor for a checkup 3 weeks later my
mother-in-law called Sully was in the
hospital the doctors found a tumor in
his servical spine it was
cancer the primary tumor came from lung
cancer it was
fatal I flew up north and visited Sully
in the hospital the day he the day after
he had his surgery to debulk the tumor I
walked into the hospital room he was
sitting up with a neck collar on and
asked how he was doing he said he was
doing okay the surgery went well he was
getting good medical care but he didn't
feel like he was being treated as a
person and I asked him to explain what
he meant he said well the hospital staff
are coming in my room and they don't
introduce themselves they don't smile
they don't explain to me what they're
going to do and then they walk
out and he said I've been getting a lot
of tests today and the transport staff
you know put me in a wheelchair they
wheel me
downstairs they talk to the other staff
but they don't talk to me they don't
acknowledge me as a person I kind of
feel like I'm a piece of meat getting
carted around from place to
place and I'm hungry I'm supposed to
have a test today with sedation and
because I'm getting sedated I I can't
eat and I said Sully it's 9:00 at night
are you sure you're getting this test he
said I'm getting this test they promised
me I would get this test today so I said
well let me check so I found the
resident and asked and she said oh um
you know a trauma case came into the
hospital this morning and your
father-in-law's uh procedure was
cancelled we should have put in an order
so that he could eat but it was an
oversight I remember standing in the
hospital family Lounge looking at the
city skyline and thinking to myself
what's wrong with this picture I'm
standing in one of the world's most
famous hospitals with one of the best
reputations and my loved one does not
feel like he's being treated like a
human
being something's
broken in 1915 Henry Ford took a tour of
the brand new Henry Ford Hospital when
he finished his tour he turned to the
hospital administrator and said well I
see you've designed the hospital
perfectly to fit the needs of the
Physicians instead of the
patients 100 years later how much
progress have we made have you had an
experience in healthcare where you felt
that your needs were not put
first have you ever called the doctor's
office for an appointment and you were
told you had to wait a week or a
month did you ever call a sub specialist
and were told you had to wait two
months a lot of us have had this
experience and it's
frustrating but what if you were calling
for help for your elderly mother or your
child and it doesn't have to be this way
there are modern scheduling techniques
we can use that use Q Theory to get
patients access to the appointments they
need now whenever I mention waiting in
healthcare many people think back to
their last visit in their local
emergency
room and uh right and uh my colleagues
in emergency medicine always yell at me
when I when I talk about the emergency
room and they tell me we don't work in
an emergency room we don't work in a
room we work in where Department it's
the emergency department not the
emergency room okay fine it's not a room
but if you're making people wait for six
hours I'm not sure it's an emergency
either we can measure the time it takes
to get to see a triage nurse the time it
takes to wait to see the doctor the time
it waits to get uh the time time it
takes to get blood tests back to get an
x-ray to get another Consulting
physician to come downstairs and then
the time it takes to get admitted up to
the hospital or sent home and all these
steps can have delays and make for big
uh we times in the emergency room and if
the hospital upstairs is crowded or if
they're short staffed then those delays
will trickle down to the emergency room
but many hospitals are tackling delays
in the ER and they're working on
smoothing out their flow upstairs so
those delays don't impact the flow of
patients downstairs other hospitals are
letting patients make appointments for
the ER online so if there is a wait you
can wait from home instead of coming in
ER delays are a solvable
problem now I have two kids and they
hate getting blood work and in
Pediatrics we can do things to maximize
comfort and decrease pain around
procedures we can use distraction we can
use numbing cream we can even have kids
cuddle a golden retriever while they're
getting their blood work or an IV placed
and for more invasive procedures like
caiz of the bladder we can use nitrous
oxide for Sedation to make sure kids
don't have pain or a memory of that La
of that
procedure and it's not just for kids we
should think about adults too and we
should think about every way we possibly
can to decrease pain around procedures
I don't like blood work either I hate it
for me it's not so much the needle it's
tying that tourniquet around your arm
and pinching the skin that just drives
me crazy one day I was getting blood
work and I didn't feel any pain and I
turned to the FLOTUS and I said did you
use a tourniquet and she said honey for
all my patience I tie the tourniquet
around their shirt sleeve so it doesn't
pinch the skin I said I want to hug you
because you you just save me from pain
for all my future blood
draws every time we a procedure on a
patient we should offer them all the
Comfort measures we have to eliminate to
decrease pain and in healthare our job
is to think of ways to decrease pain
decrease fear decrease anxiety and
decrease suffering every chance we
can we were talking about blood draws
and has anyone ever been in the hospital
overnight and you were woken up to get a
blood
test many hospitals start collecting
their blood work at 4:00 in the morning
there are FLOTUS who troll around the
impatient Wards they collect their blood
samples and then they disappear Before
Sunrise just like
vampires why do they do that does anyone
know why they do that well in the past
it would take hours to process these
blood tests and the doctors would want
their lab results on their patients from
morning rounds but with current
technology we we can now run these blood
tests in seconds or a couple minutes
there's no longer a need to wake
patients up at 4:00 in the morning can
everyone in the room here agree that in
hospitals we're going to abandon
collecting blood work at 4
a.m. can we all agree that we're going
to let patients sleep and heal while
they're in a
hospital so we've talked a little bit
about the patient experience what about
the experience of Health Care
Professionals now burnout among
caregivers is epidemic right now and
burnout is a problem because it's a
barrier to empathy 45% of Physicians
report at least one symptom of burnout
half of Physicians would report they
would change their career in medicine
and 60% of Physicians are planning to
retire earlier than
expected the seeds of burnout are sewn
early in medical school and residency
training 75% of internal medicine
residents report burnout and what's even
more troubling is that many of them
report a lack of emotional reaction to
the death of one of their
patients it seems like our health care
culture is driving empathy out of our
young
doctors we need to restore
empathy if we can do that the weights
for appointments go away the weights in
the emergency room go
away waiting through the weekend to hear
if your child's cancer returned goes
away now it's amazing when we get this
right because when we do the comments
our patients tell us are my medical team
saved my child's life my doctor really
listened to me my nurse genuinely
cares but when we are not empathic what
do we hear I felt dismissed my doctor
seemed
rush I thought I heard some
sarcasm healthc Care Systems that are
providing an excellent patient
experience are finding they make fewer
medical mistakes their patients are more
likely to take their medications and
their patients diseases are under better
control in our Pediatric Healthcare
organization
neor we have a commitment to empathy
we're not going to rest until patient
gets the care they want and need when
and how and where they want and need
it a recent survey of Hospital CEOs
reported that improving the patient
experience was their number one priority
to work on over the next few
years we need to return to empathy can
you imagine if we redesigned the health
care system based on empathy what would
that look
like well I think we would have all the
doctors washing their hands 100% of the
time instead of the current national
average of
50% we would have two minutes of
uninterrupted time to tell our story you
could tell a good story in in two
minutes typically patients get
interrupted after 18
seconds we would be able to get an
appointment today or tomorrow we would
be able to get medical advice from our
mobile device and in the hospital the
pillars of care would be your healing
your nutrition your sleep your pain
control your communication with your
medical team you'd be given
choices and your decisions would be
would be made with your family and those
decisions would be respected and
supported I was walking out of my clinic
a few weeks ago uh and I walked into our
Hospital Lobby and I had my Hospital ID
and my stethoscope around my neck and
two parents came up to me and they said
we want to tell you about your
hospital and my first thought was to
look for security but I said okay uh
sure I'd be happy to hear what you have
to say they said we want to tell you how
much Compassionate Care our son has
received since being here this week and
we thank
you that's the kind of experience we
want for every patient every
time in
closing Sully was the type of person who
did not take no for an
answer he Challen challenged the status
quo his entire life he also jumped out
of a plane at age 60 and didn't tell his
wife but that's for a different
story he taught me to always fight for
what you believe
in I think we can agree we need to
demand the right thing for ourselves and
for our family
members let's only accept a Health Care
System that's designed to put patience
first
Weitere ähnliche Videos ansehen
What really matters at the end of life | BJ Miller | TED
What’s Love Got to Do With It? Leadership in New Era of Healthcare | Susan Carter | TEDxNashville
Healthcare Information Systems
What the US health care system assumes about you | Mitchell Katz
QSEN: The Lewis Blackman Story (Part Three)
How The Human Connection Improves Healthcare | Anthony Orsini | TEDxGrandCanyonUniversity
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)