National Transitions of Care Coalition cites patient education as key component of post hospital health management, disease prevention framework

National Transitions of Care CoalitionMay 7 2013

The National Transitions of Care Coalition has cited patient education as a required component of post hospital health management and disease prevention framework. Today's technologies and digital delivery options allows health providers to target reductions in re-admissions, and emergency department visits, while improving patient compliance and patient safety within the hospital. One of the market drivers examined in the white paper includes taking patient education from hospital bed to the home through web access or mobile devices and telemedicine.

The newly released whitepaper, The Right Patient Education Tools: Strategies To Improve Health Outcomes and Meet Regulatory Goals gives an overview of patient education tools, defining high quality patient education and how it supports and aligns with Joint Commission, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services goals, and what this can mean for patients and health providers. Quality patient education delivered at the point-of-need has a lasting health impact.

The 12 page whitepaper examines national quality strategy goals and how they are converging to place a national priority on effective patient education. The paper also defines what constitutes quality patient education including the foundation on adult learning principles, medical best practices and healthcare national guidelines.

One example of potential high impact is heart failure, which remains a top priority in national health initiatives. Heart Failure is estimated by the American Heart Association to cost between $34-39 billion annually. The costs are expected to increase as more and more patients are diagnosed with heart failure. Currently one in five hospitalized patients is re-admitted with complications according to a New England Journal of Medicine study, a clear indicator of the long-term difficulties those patients have understanding and managing this condition.

"The number 1 and 2 reasons for hospital re-admissions are dietary and medication-related," notes JoAnne Nabozny, Milner-Fenwick's product development manager, who describes Milner-Fenwick's heart failure products as hopeful and reassuring. "It's about patients who have successfully taken control of their heart failure and can provide encouragement and real-life lessons learned by others."

In addition to re-admissions, the whitepaper discusses the impact patient education has on hospital quality of care, driving higher HCAAPS scores, and leveraging new technologies to meet the growing demands for access to quality education materials.

The whitepaper examines the components of quality video health education as it relates to patient empowerment and better outcomes, what factors to consider, and how best to impact the patients self-management process.

Patient education can be provided whenever and wherever it is needed by combining effective education programs with cutting edge technology providers. Technology platforms increasingly are allowing hospitals to integrate, track and report within electronic medical records for a deeper analysis and quantifiable ROI. Download the whitepaper, The Right Patient Education Tools: Strategies To Improve Health Outcomes and Meet Regulatory Goals and join in on the discussion.