Interactive Systems Ease the Burden on Nurses and Improve the Patient Experience

Interactive smart technology systems are an emerging force in healthcare, and as such, their value is frequently underestimated. The right system, correctly implemented and integrated, prioritizes patient experience and relieves some of the burden on overworked nurses.

Patient education

Any good nurse will tell you patient education is vital. From the moment a patient is admitted, the goal is to send them home healthy and prepared to do what is necessary to maintain their health. But patients must know and understand how to manage their follow-up care before they can be safely discharged. Otherwise, they run the risk of readmission, and nobody wants that — least of all the patient.

Comprehensive patient education tells a patient what to do — and why. People tend to resist doing what they’re told when they don’t understand why. A thorough understanding of the reasons for treatments, including medication and physical therapy exercises, improves patient engagement. An engaged patient is less likely to abandon prescribed treatment plans or act against medical advice.

But patient engagement requires cultivation. If patients are distrustful, or disinterested, it’s difficult to involve them in their care. Some may assume their discharge from the hospital means they’re fully healed. Patient engagement and education, as necessary as they are, can be difficult and time-consuming to achieve. Devoting time to patient engagement can add more to the burden of already overworked clinical staff, particularly nurses.

Nurse burnout

Burnout is a well-known risk for nurses and other healthcare workers. It happens when someone is driven to the point of exhaustion by overwork and/or emotional strain. Nurse burnout is common — 63% of hospital nurses report experiencing some level of burnout. Nationwide staffing shortages contribute to the workload, and with COVID-19 and its variants lingering, the physical and emotional toll on nurses is higher than ever. But burnout doesn’t have to be endemic to the nursing profession. New and existing technology can relieve some of the burden and help to prevent nurse burnout.

Interactive systems

Interactive systems employ technology, such as tablets, computers, and smartboards to interact with patients, their loved ones, staff, and  other integrated systems. They can be used to relay crucial treatment information to all concerned and both collect and display relevant patient health data.

Interactive systems are designed to encourage patient engagement. Systems can be customized and integrated with existing hospital technology. They automatically reset between patients and offer a variety of engagement activity and healthcare functionality. Patients have easy access to prescribed videos, streaming services, and their own medical information. Ready access to relevant information increases patient knowledge and engagement — and saves nurses and other healthcare staff considerable time and energy.

Digital patient education frees clinical staff to focus on critical patient care, and easy access to patient medical data simplifies much of their clinical work. From medication schedules to real-time health data, interactive systems take on some of the hospital workload and decrease the risk of staff burnout.

Healthcare is a complicated field. Balancing the needs of patients with those of workers is a challenge under normal circumstances, and the healthcare industry has been short on normal lately. Interactive systems provide essential services to simplify patient education, boost patient engagement, and improve the patient experience while relieving the heavy burden of an overworked, understaffed healthcare workforce.

TRL Systems is proud to partner with Vizabli to deliver their Acute Care Engagement Solution (ACES) to boost the overall experience for staff, patients, and families and increase the productivity of your healthcare staff while simultaneously relieving their workload. To learn more about Vizabli and the benefits of ACES, contact sgranillo@TRLSystem.com.