Personalizing the Patient Experience

Some of you may know I have recently been thrown into the reluctant role of patient as a result of an unsettling and very unexpected diagnosis.  I am far more comfortable as a member of the caregiving team or in the role of advocate assisting others through a crisis much like I am now facing.   As the dust settles, I am able to think with more clarity about optimizing this role and my experiences working with my care team in clinics and hospitals. My goal is to share, with new insight, the things that benefit both me and health care providers on this journey.

Almost a month ago I had an unplanned and unexpected surgical procedure that lead to my diagnosis. During my brief stay in the hospital, getting the rest I needed was extremely difficult. Hospital staff would burst into my room every few hours to take vitals. They would flip on the light and start talking to me as if it was 2:00 in the afternoon rather than 2:00 am. I found myself feeling obliged to engage in the chatter regarding their complaints about the computer charting system, their mother in law who had a procedure similar to mine or their plan for the upcoming Holiday season. This astounded and exhausted me. There was one nurse in particular who was talking loudly through the night at the nurses station and even after repeatedly asking staff to close my door, I could hear her conversations with co-workers all night long.

This is a hospital I trust, a hospital I have worked in so I know the staff is top notch but there is always room for improvement. I have another procedure scheduled for January and have decided I am going to create a “Hospital Visit Plan” much like birth plans that pregnant women create so they can optimize their delivery experience. I will share this plan with my physician before my procedure and make it known to the staff who cares for me after my procedure. I think this is something everyone should do, but especially when you are coming to grips with a health crisis, peace, quiet and feeling like you have some control over what happens to you is vital. My plan will include the following:

Having the conversation. I think it will go something like this “I know you are working hard to provide me with the best care possible and want my experience to be a positive one. I want to be involved in that process by sharing the things that are important to me in my recovery.” Leading with an assumption that your experience is important to your provider honors their integrity and expertise. If you have any doubt whatsoever that this is a priority to them, you have the wrong doctor.

A pain control plan. I am narcotic sensitive because I rarely have been given narcotic pain medication. My blood pressure runs on the low side and this is exacerbated by anesthesia. Those who don’t know this about me get very alarmed at my blood pressure numbers until I remind them this is normal for me. I also, thank God, have a high pain tolerance so my preference is to manage my pain with non-narcotic methods unless the pain is so unbearable something stronger is needed. I want everyone who is caring for me to know this so we are all on the same page and I don’t have to repeat it over and over while I am already tired and recovering.

A rest optimizing plan. I want to be disturbed as little as possible throughout the nights I am in the hospital. I want to be in a room that is as far away from the hustle and bustle of staff as possible. I want the staff to be aware of the fact that patients can hear them talking and it keeps them from resting. I want my door kept closed at all times. I don’t want housekeeping coming in between the hours of 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM unless there is some big mess to clean up that can’t wait. If staff must check my vitals every four hours, I want the oximeter probe and blood pressure cuff kept on me so that staff can quietly, walk in and record the numbers they need without waking me up. I want the bare minimum of lights on throughout the night and I want whatever lights are turned on, to be turned off when staff leaves the room. For the life of me, I can’t figure out who thought it was a reasonable idea for staff to open my door, yell out “housekeeping!” and come in to give my bathroom a full cleaning at 6:00 AM.

An empathy awareness plan. I want everyone involved in my care to know I am someone, just like them, who is struggling with a new and somewhat scary diagnosis and who has just had a procedure that changes my life in a significant way. I don’t want to have to do additional work to educate the staff caring for me on how I should be treated on a human level. I want them to know I am not at my best so I rely on their expertise and support to help me heal and get over this hurdle.

Some of you may think these requests should be a standard part of the delivery of care but I don’t believe they are, based on my experience. I depend on the medical care I am receiving to be the best in the state and on par with the best in the world. But above and beyond that, I expect the awareness of me as a human being to be just as important. I believe we all should expect that.

I have created a template to guide you in creating your own plan to improve a  stay in the hospital.  Feel free to add whatever additional information you would like your care team to be aware of. http://eepurl.com/bKI80v

Michelle Chaffee    Alska Founder & CEO  http://alska.com