It’s too early for hospitals to identify lessons learned – we’re still in the midst of a global pandemic – but there will come a time when the industry looks back and implements sweeping changes as a result of what happened. But for those on the outside looking in, it’s never too soon to examine what?s happening.
4 Ways the Industry is Changing
We’re living in the middle of the largest catastrophe of our lifetimes. From this point forward, we will forever refer to history in the context of B.C. and A.C. No, we’re not talking in biblical terms. The acronyms stand for Before Coronavirus and After Coronavirus.
Life as we know it is changing across the board. From private sector to the public sector, personal life to public life, relationships to social interactions, we’re about to enter into new territory. Few things will ever be the same.
Will people still shake hands to greet one another?
Will large crowds ? like parades and sporting events ? still be common?
Will millions of businesses grow accustomed to remote working and transition to virtual companies?
Every industry and way of life will be impacted. However, there’s arguably no sector that will be as significantly impacted as healthcare. In particular, hospitals are about to undergo revolutionary transformation. (In fact, many already have.)
Here’s a look at some of what’s happening:
- Digital Triage and Care
At Massachusetts General Hospital in the United States, COVID-19 has changed everything. The hallways and waiting rooms are eerily quiet ? no visitors to be found ? while the hospital rooms and wards are filled with sick patients and a bustling herd of weary nurses and staff.
In isolation wards, COVID-19 patients rest in the privacy of their own rooms ? rooms that are equipped with iPads mounted to IV poles. On the iPads, patients have access to software that acts as an in-room nurse. Two-way communication allows patients and nurses to interact without having to put on extensive protective gear and risk additional exposure to the virus. The hospital acts as a hybrid between telehealth and physical care.
Mass General isn’t alone. This is a system that’s being deployed in dozens (if not hundreds) of hospitals around the world. And it begs the question, is digital triage and care a more efficient way of seeing patients and lowering the risk of infections in overworked hospital staff?
While it’s definitely a powerful solution for today’s pandemic, it could also be a useful setup for future care. It may even allow certain hospital staff to work remotely ? something that hasn’t been possible until this point.
- Digital Hospital Signage
This is another interesting trend. Many hospital facilities are ditching their traditional signage in lieu of digital signage. This is seen as way to increase the speed of delivery for important and rapidly changing health orders and guidelines (which sometimes change multiple times per day). It’s also a much more hygienic approach (cutting down on the spread of germs).
- Greater Emphasis on Telehealth
The push for telehealth was tremendous prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. (We’re talking about a multi-billion-dollar industry that’s expected to grow at a rate of more than 20 percent annually over the next few years.) But in the coming 12-24 months, we will see a seismic shift.
Telehealth will become the new norm in many areas of the industry. This will lead to less strain on the system, lower costs for all, and more opportunity for quality care in rural and impoverished areas.
- Stronger Communication Channels
If this disaster has taught us anything, it’s that we weren’t prepared for the mass coordination of communication that’s necessary to handle a crisis of this magnitude. Look for hospitals to change the way they handle real-time communication (internally), as well as how they coordinate with public health officials and government agencies.
The Big Shift
The world is changing. While nobody would have wished for the COVID-19 pandemic to occur, it’s easy to see just how transformational it’s going to be for so many different industries ? hospitals and healthcare included. We’re on the leading edge of a major shift. Companies that choose to innovate and pivot will come out of this disaster stronger than ever.
