Chris Pugliese
May 3 2022
Reading Time: 3 minutes
By: Chris Pugliese, Senior Product Manager, CitusHealth
When considering tools that help consumers communicate, there has been a rapid evolution in technology since camera phones hit the market in the 2000s. Looking back on those grainy photos decades later, it’s difficult to understand why people cared so much when the images were such poor quality. The answer lies in the importance of photos. They make people feel more connected.
The social media revolution brought photos to the forefront of communication with platforms like Instagram and Facebook, which eventually allowed video sharing as well. The result was a significant shift in the way we communicate with each other. Pictures and videos help us better identify with others and keep us connected unlike anything else.
This visual connection translates to healthcare, where a single photo can communicate a patient’s condition and a single video call can connect patients and family caregivers to nurses. In out-of-hospital care settings where patients are often critically ill, this human connection is paramount for patients who need quality care and caregivers who need comfort in time of stress.
Photos and video can provide emotional connection in home-based care.
When patients are in hospice care, family members are going through a challenging time in their lives, dealing with the stress of processing death. Having a sympathetic voice and someone to look them in the eyes in time of need can help meet (and possibly exceed) their expectations for engagement.
With the CitusHealth platform, providers can offer patients and family caregivers modern communication methods, allowing them to feel heard and making them a fan of your services for life. When they consider donating to a valuable cause or need to choose home health or hospice for a loved one in the future, chances are they’ll remember the personal connection they experienced with your organization.
Photos and video are the language of the next-generation workforce.
Many organizations are seeing older team members start to exit the industry, who are being replaced by younger generations. The younger staff are accustomed to our modern app-economy and expect to be able to connect with other team members and patients supported by the tech ecosystem they’ve participated in for several years.
Without bringing technology-forward practices to your organization, like the ability to support photo and video sharing, it will be difficult for organizations to recruit and retain top talent who expect to communicate seamlessly, to get a quick picture of a wound, or to video chat between visits to ensure patients and caregivers are feeling cared for.
With the ability to communicate with images and through video, deeper human connections can be established between staff, patients, and family caregivers. And the expectations of younger generations in the workforce can be met with technology platforms that reduce the need for older analog communication methods.
Request a demo to experience how CitusHealth can transform the care you provide with the ability to communicate through photos and video.
