In part I of this series on “Rx to Px” (Prescription to Patient eXperience), I discussed how telemedicine and remote care delivery is transforming our day-to-day experience at doctors’ offices.
In this article, let’s examine patient experience from surgical procedure to recovery — on how our health system can go beyond surgery, improve patient experience, and consequently ensure better recoveries.
A typical person who gets a knee or hip replacement surgery — like my uncle — would’ve waited for over 10 years to get that procedure. During that time their mobility has deteriorated, along with their quality of life. They live with pain, have falls. They research, get referrals, find a surgeon, and finally get their procedure done.
Their arduous journey to recovery, of restoring their mobility, begins.
The Lonely Road to Recovery
When patients get discharged after surgery, some may end up in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) — a halfway-house between the surgery facility and their home. Others may get discharged directly to home where they may get a few weeks of home healthcare, with a nurse and/or physical therapist visiting them for delivering care. Some may get outpatient physical therapy after home care or in lieu of it. Post-operative visits to the surgeon occur during the first few months.
Care pathways and delivery modalities vary by individual. However, the only constant is the patient.
Can the patient be empowered to care for themselves post-surgery and discharge? Can we equip them to be in control of their recovery? After all, we know that engaged patients get better outcomes.
Can the surgeon and team stay connected with that patient while they’re out-of-sight and are being managed by the ecosystem of providers in the post-discharge phase? (PAC or post-acute care providers). Can the PAC providers and the surgeon coordinate care better to ensure timely care transitions as the patient navigates the road to recovery?
The answer to all these questions is ‘yes’. Doing those improves Patient eXperience (Px) as well as raises the standard of care by going beyond the surgery.
What else can we do to ensure better outcomes and Px?
Recovery Begins Before Surgery
Pre-operative preparation is now part of enhanced recovery protocols. Prehabilitation — any intervention administered before surgery to reduce surgery-related morbidity, decrease the length of hospital stay, and facilitate the patient’s return to normal life — is shown to enable better surgical outcomes.
Could we apply Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathways to patients’ journey from pre-operative to post-operative stages of care?
After all, the aftermath of surgery shouldn’t be an afterthought.
Go Beyond Surgery — Improve Px and Outcomes
Research shows that evidence-based best-practices such as ERAS makes for better outcomes by focusing on the entire patient journey.
At Plethy, our focus is to transform the patient journey in orthopaedic recovery by applying these best-practices to surgery preparation and recovery.
We hope that focusing on Px throughout the patient journey and key provider partnership with patient will make the lonely road to recovery a tolerable one.
Digital platforms like Plethy Recupe for Orthopedics will enable such empowered surgical journeys by keeping the patients engaged and empowered while providing visibility to clinicians on patient preparedness, progress, and recovery.
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Stay tuned for more posts in this series on the evolution in healthcare from Rx to Px. Checkout Plethy for how continuous care can be delivered in Orthopaedics.
Published By Cerebrus
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.
