Mercy Hospital And Trauma Center's Video Education Increases Staff Efficiency And Improves Patient Satisfaction

Using TeleHealth Services’ Interactive Patient Systems Reduces Time Spent for Discharge Education

Interactive video-based patient education is saving staff time while also increasing patient satisfaction for the endoscopy unit at Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center. The improvements were immediate after leveraging the hospital’s SmarTigr solution fromTeleHealth Services, the nation’s leading provider of interactive patient engagement solutions.

Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center is a Level II trauma center, an American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet® Recognized hospital and a recipient of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The endoscopy unit identified an opportunity to address challenges to provide higher quality discharge teaching for the 5,000 endoscopy or colonoscopy procedures performed each year.

Video-based patient discharge education in the unit was first implemented in June. Patients and caregivers are now shown the discharge teaching video before their procedure. The nursing staff then meet with the patients to ensure education was understood, and to answer any questions. Staff efficiency increased by 50% (according to a clinician time study) and patient surveys documented a significant improvement after only one month. Patient satisfaction surveys reflect a preference toward video-based education over clinician-led education and showed a rise in satisfaction across three distinct measures.

For example, the percent of patients who “strongly agreed” that they received helpful information about taking care of themselves at home increased from 71 percent to 86 percent--a 21 percent increase. Even more patients, 90 percent, strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the care they received with most attributing video-based education as the best way to learn about their care.

Proactively Addressing Education Barriers
The endoscopy unit has unique issues that compound difficulties in educating patients. At discharge, patients are still recovering from sedation, which may significantly impact retention of information. Prior to the unit’s implementation of video-based education with SmarTigr, written handouts were provided to patients but were frequently discarded, misplaced or forgotten. Caregivers were required to attend the appointments but were not always present during discharge teaching to help reinforce the education at home.

“We thought that standardizing education through video could address a lot of the challenges we were facing,” said Deb Conway, BSN, RN. “The team decided to produce its own videos in English and Spanish using staff members as narrators.”

“For clinical reasons, we kept the video discharge instructions concise and specific to our facility,” said unit educator Chad Salmon, BSN, RN. “We want patients to feel a sense of connection to the people on the screen and to our hospital. We believed it was possible to educate with compassion and preserve the human touch when moving our discharge teaching to video.”

Matt Barker, vice president of marketing for TeleHealth Services, said Mercy Health System is a powerful example of how hospitals are using technology to improve patient education and engagement. “Patients value learning about their care and how to continue to heal when they get home,” he said. “Increased patient satisfaction scores and dedication to making the patient an active participant in their care demonstrate that appreciation.”

About Mercy Health System
For over 125 years, Mercy Health System has touched the lives of millions of individuals. Innovative services and committed professionals have led to Mercy’s transformation over the last 25 years from a stand-alone hospital to a vertically integrated health system with 70 facilities serving 26 communities throughout southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. For more information, visit www.mercyhealthsystem.org

About TeleHealth Services
With more than 2,500 healthcare clients across the country, TeleHealth Services is the nation's leading provider of integrated technology and communications solutions for the healthcare market. Combining 50+ years of healthcare expertise and partnerships with industry leading manufacturers, TeleHealth Services is uniquely positioned to offer a full suite of hospital technology solutions that includes:

• Interactive patient education platforms
• Comprehensive hospital television systems
• Bedside patient entertainment solutions
• Comprehensive design, implementation, and service packages
• Flexible financing solutions
• Complete healthcare audio visual solutions

Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., TeleHealth Services was awarded the Communications Company of the Year by the N.C. Technology Association.TeleHealth Services is a division of Telerent Leasing Corporation. Telerent, founded in 1957, operates as a subsidiary of ITOCHU International, Inc. For more information, visit www.telehealth.com.