Errors and mistakes are a part of life, but in the medical field it can put patients’ health at a serious risk. One of the major reasons why errors are made in the healthcare industry is because there are too many distractions and tasks doctors and nurses have to deal with on a daily basis. Their to-do lists are full to the brim and sometimes things get lost in translation.
Unfortunately this has become the nature of the healthcare system. Clinicians not only have to help support patients, but they have to deal with paperwork and other managerial duties. When they have hundreds of tasks a day, how can they possibly provide patients with the highest level of care?
This is not an excuse for clinicians’ mistakes, but health executives and the systems they run should take a little bit of the stress off their backs. Research shows that 300,000 people die each year in the United States because of a misdiagnosis. This number shows that healthcare workers need to spend more time with their patients, so they can really get to know them and their bodies so they can uncover all the possibilities associated with their health.
“Patient health is first and foremost, but sometimes it’s put on the backburner. There are so many times when doctors miss symptoms that could help them accurately diagnose patients, because they were buried in papers. This is not what the healthcare industry is, and when clinicians spend hours each day doing paperwork, patients’ health is at risk,” says DoorSpace CEO Sarah M. Worthy.
Clinicians not only have to take care of their patients, but they usually have to update records and paperwork, and also get up-to-date on their own training. All of these tasks take them away from what really matters, and can ultimately lead to misdiagnosing people. These types of distractions take the care out of healthcare.
Health executives and healthcare managers should find ways to automate these tasks and create a more organized system, so clinicians can spend more time with their patients. Imagine how many lives healthcare workers could save if they had the chance to notice life-threatening symptoms in their patients. Distractions in the workplace are putting people at a serious risk.
“The solution is really simple. Healthcare executives need to invest in technology that takes a load off clinicians’ to-do lists. This not only makes record-keeping more efficient but more accurate, and gives frontline workers the time to do what they do best. When patient health is at risk, there needs to be immediate action taken, to provide them with the care they need to heal. Doctors doing admin tasks all day is not getting us anywhere.”
Healthcare workers need the chance to spend more time on the frontlines. This not only leads to more accurate diagnosing, but it helps form connections with their patients. Healing is not just physical. When people are in the hospital, they are at their most vulnerable state, and many times they are looking for comfort. That’s another reason why doctors and nurses are so important. They can provide a level of care that is both physical and emotional. They can put patients at ease, which helps them get better quicker. If they are spending countless hours distracted doing paperwork, then they are not building relationships with their patients.
Healthcare systems should try everything in their power to get rid of these distractions for those on the frontlines. They need to remember who is really at the center of the industry, and what the mission is. That is the patients and their health. By giving clinicians more time in their day to fully take care of their patients, then the risk is slowly being eliminated. Distractions are risky for everyone, and it’s time to change things for the better. Patient health should come before paperwork.