Brittany Isaacs
Feb 10 2022
Reading Time: 3 minutes
When considering how to improve nursing burnout, we must first think about the challenges that nurses face in the home—the stress of coordinating care, 24/7 communication with the patient, time-consuming documentation, etc. Another factor is that many patients in home therapy and specialty pharmacy have rare diseases and immune compromises. Pair this with a common communication barrier between provider and pharmacy, and it can create challenges around providing quality care.
These challenges lead to frustration for nurses, because they’re watching their patients suffer and want to provide the best possible outcomes. Technology can help meet the patient’s needs, educate them on treatment, and collaborate all aspects of care—which can all lead to happier nurses. Here are four ways collaborative technology can improve nursing burnout.
“The feedback we hear the most often from nurses, CNAs and social workers is that the system helps them spend more time with patients because they’re not having to worry about needless workflow,” she says. “It’s just such an easy platform. Our referral sources are happy, our nurses are happy, our physicians are happy. And so am I because you never find a win-win-win like this.” – JANELL SOLOMON, DIRECTOR OF COMPLIANCE, Sangre de Cristo Community Care
Sharing resources is easier.
Education about the care they’re receiving is the foundation of more positive outcomes for patients. By instantly and electronically sharing treatment pamphlets, device usage, and disease information, patients are reminded about care plans discussed at the bedside, remember their treatment details, and are likely to commit to their healthcare goals.
Documentation is streamlined.
Instead of handling piles of documentation after hours, the right technology allows nurses to spend less time doing paperwork and more time focusing on patient care. A streamlined documentation process should have standardized questions to ensure no detail is missed, spell check to ensure accuracy, and the ability to attach photos—all updating into the EMR.
This approach results in richer narratives and more data, which allows agencies to monitor trends for outcomes and improve where needed—all while easing the burden on nurses and making the documentation process much less time consuming and much more robust.
Communication is instant.
Patients in the home, especially during a pandemic, are often isolated and left feeling like they’re on an island. With a powerful communication tool, both the care team and the patient are on the same page about scope, next steps, etc. And anytime a patient has a question or concern, secure answers can be given instantly to provide peace of mind and satisfaction for the patient knowing their care team is always a message away.
Communication gaps are also common with pharmacies, which may not always understand scope for nurses. Technology can make a difference by connecting all aspects of care to ultimately improve outcomes and eliminate the need for several phone calls.
Reimbursement is faster.
Clear documentation means no more chasing down accurate paperwork, which means faster billing and reimbursement. This saves time for nurses, as the back office won’t need to request corrections to documentation errors.
CitusHealth is designed with workflow in mind, knowing what the nurse will experience in the home and how to streamline that visit in the best way possible to decrease burnout and increase efficiency.
Schedule a demo today to learn more about how CitusHealth can help you improve nursing burnout.
