Early Lessons From H1N1
The other evening as I sat in the bleachers of our local school waiting to watch my son perform in a concert, a friend said, "I checked your hospital web site for information about swine flu, and the number of cases wasn't accurate."
My friend wasn't judgmental; cases are a moving target. But it shows two things in the big picture.
One, the public looks to its local hospital for information about healthcare, perhaps more so when something like H1N1 happens. It seemed important to my friend that the hospital be on track, which makes sense. He and others are worried about their families.
Two, it is difficult to always have the best information. At times, we are in chaotic situations, whether pandemic, natural disaster, or ED trauma. When events are rapidly changing and people involved are under pressure to make decisions, communication becomes exponentially difficult.
The lesson here is that not only does the public look to its healthcare system for answers but consistency. For this to work there has to be a bond of trust gradually built as we respond to customer expectations over time. One expectation is patient empowerment, which seeks to encourage patients to be strong self-advocates. Not only does it encourage patients to become informed, but it reminds them that their health is a patient-doctor collaboration.
Patients, in other words, are partners in our success.
Messages travel up and down the line. During this outbreak your lab may have changed specimen collection, courier times, or report distribution. Were these easy to communicate? Did everyone get the same information? Did your patients trust you for the right answers? And what did you tell them when they asked questions?
As lights dimmed I leaned back to enjoy the concert, which was about America's founders, explorers, and heroes. I loved the big grin on the face of the kid dressed as Abe Lincoln (he wasn't mine). The message, at least for me, was that we all need to work together. Which seemed to fit.