Using mobile and web 2.0 to build relationships between a hospital and the community it serves

Scenario:

You have just had a positive experience in a major public hospital that may have happened due to a planned or unplanned event. You had a great relationship with the nurses and doctors that looked after you. You provided all your patient information including mobile phone number, email and residential address on admission. You leave the hospital feeling much better and thankful that the hospital and its dedicated staff were there to support you at your time of need.

The hospital administration is crying out for more funding to improve equipment, provide more staff, meet unmet demands - and continually cries poor. The hospital wants more funds from the State & Federal Government governments. Their are also preventative messages and follow ups that are required to be sent to patients.

Arrgggh, but the big bug of privacy gets in the way. We need 'informed consent' say the administrators.

So, instead, $2 raffle tickets are sold at the front of a hospital foyer by a well-meaning hospital auxilliary.

Surely, some better use of technology, some survey tools, some mobile and email polling, can help build relationships between those that have accessed the hospital and those that are in need of funds.

Where are the outstanding (adult) hospital foundations that have the skillset to achieve these outcomes? Why are the bureaucrats and mandarins left to make very uncomeercial decisions? Perhaps they're unable to offer fearless advice to their political masters.

Vote Activity Show

upi.ron

Agreed

3 years ago

Brad Peterson

Disagreed

3 years ago

wjhenty

Agreed

3 years ago

Nicholas Gruen

Agreed

3 years ago

Comments (2)

Nicholas Gruen

A great proposal.

3 years ago

Yvonne R Thompson

A recent experience at Wakefield Hospital in Adelaide SA with my elderly mother suggested that 'privacy' was used by a Doctor's nurse to avoid communicating with family.

After an ECG in the office, the Doctor, not her regular cardiologist, whisked Mum straight from his office into the hospital, telling her that he happened to have an opening to install a pacemaker. Fair enough. However, he did not understand what the ECG was telling him, nor did she understand the sudden urgency.

He and his nurse did not appear to have the time to patiently explain this to her in any terms that would offer reassurance. Their treatment was instaed patronizing and bordered on bullying. Then, no honest effort was made to contact any family on her behalf.

She phoned me from the hospital in a state of distress and anxiety, not understanding what the operation was about or why it was needed. She needed reassurance from someone she trusted, me, in terms that did not treat her like an idiot, or senile.

I could not offer this reassurance until I heard first hand exactly what had transpired in the doctors office, what the ECG had shown, and the exact reason for the operation. I reached the Doctor's own nurse on the phone. She was terse and refused to tell me anything about the operation they were about to wheel my mother into. She told me the Doctor would not speak to me claiming that my mother 'had not signed a next-of-kin form' (as it turned out, she had).

As my mother is in her late 80's, all I really wanted was to speak with the Doctor or his nurse to get a clearer understanding of the need for the operation, so that I could then reassure my mother. I reluctantly accept that this 'reassurance' is something Doctors (particularly specialists in a hospital setting, anyway) find a nuisance and do not feel they have time for.

However, if they dont have time to explain to an elderly patient, they could at least explain to a family member. Howver, instead of making an effort to engage family, what infuriated me was that the Doctor's nurse then attempted to use 'privacy' legislation as an excuse to refuse to tell me anything and effectively to remove the family from the decision-making.

This is abuse of intent of privacy and there need to be better safeguards to prevent Doctors or their overly officious or protective nurses from abusing the intent of 'privacy' to evade their natural obligations to the oberall well-being and emotional needs (trust and informed consent) of patients. Instead, privacy becomes an excuse to act soley in the interests of their own operational expediency, in an autocratic way.

A trusted relationship between Doctors, Nurses and the patient in the context of family is crucial to good outcomes. Family can help Doctors in this process. The nurses who worked for the Hospital were wonderful, by the way, and did their very best to help.

In the end because of mishandling of the family by the Doctor and more so his nurse (he still vigorously defended her actions afterwards) the operation was delayed by several days, she had an extra wait in hospital, a lot of extra costs borne by private insurance, and a change of Doctor. All avoidable if the Doctor an his nurse had not treated my mothers need for knowledge and reassurance and for family to be involved with such disdain in the very beginning.

By the way, Mum is doing well.

3 years ago

Nicholas Gruen

A great proposal.

3 years ago

0

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Yvonne R Thompson

A recent experience at Wakefield Hospital in Adelaide SA with my elderly mother suggested that 'privacy' was used by a Doctor's nurse to avoid communicating with family.
After an ECG in the office, the Doctor, not her regular cardiologist, whisked Mum straight from his office into the hospital, telling her that he happened to have an opening to install a pacemaker. Fair enough. However, he did not understand what the ECG was telling him, nor did she understand the sudden urgency.
He and his nurse did not appear to have the time to patiently explain this to her in any terms that would offer reassurance. Their treatment was instaed patronizing and bordered on bullying. Then, no honest effort was made to contact any family on her behalf.
She phoned me from the hospital in a state of distress and anxiety, not understanding what the operation was about or why it was needed. She needed reassurance from someone she trusted, me, in terms that did not treat her like an idiot, or senile.
I could not offer this reassurance until I heard first hand exactly what had transpired in the doctors office, what the ECG had shown, and the exact reason for the operation. I reached the Doctor's own nurse on the phone. She was terse and refused to tell me anything about the operation they were about to wheel my mother into. She told me the Doctor would not speak to me claiming that my mother 'had not signed a next-of-kin form' (as it turned out, she had).
As my mother is in her late 80's, all I really wanted was to speak with the Doctor or his nurse to get a clearer understanding of the need for the operation, so that I could then reassure my mother. I reluctantly accept that this 'reassurance' is something Doctors (particularly specialists in a hospital setting, anyway) find a nuisance and do not feel they have time for.
However, if they dont have time to explain to an elderly patient, they could at least explain to a family member. Howver, instead of making an effort to engage family, what infuriated me was that the Doctor's nurse then attempted to use 'privacy' legislation as an excuse to refuse to tell me anything and effectively to remove the family from the decision-making.
This is abuse of intent of privacy and there need to be better safeguards to prevent Doctors or their overly officious or protective nurses from abusing the intent of 'privacy' to evade their natural obligations to the oberall well-being and emotional needs (trust and informed consent) of patients. Instead, privacy becomes an excuse to act soley in the interests of their own operational expediency, in an autocratic way.
A trusted relationship between Doctors, Nurses and the patient in the context of family is crucial to good outcomes. Family can help Doctors in this process. The nurses who worked for the Hospital were wonderful, by the way, and did their very best to help.
In the end because of mishandling of the family by the Doctor and more so his nurse (he still vigorously defended her actions afterwards) the operation was delayed by several days, she had an extra wait in hospital, a lot of extra costs borne by private insurance, and a change of Doctor. All avoidable if the Doctor an his nurse had not treated my mothers need for knowledge and reassurance and for family to be involved with such disdain in the very beginning.
By the way, Mum is doing well.

3 years ago

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