Why iPad EMRs are Better for Doctor Patient Interaction
A current debate in the healthcare industry is whether or not certain technologies are helping or hurting patient satisfaction and outcomes. Inevitably, we want technology to connect and strengthen interactions between doctors and their patients, not get in the way.
When EMRs first came on to the scene, some providers felt they were too clunky and pulled focus from the human being sitting in the exam room. But with the emergence of tablet computing, health and wellness services have been successfully transformed.
iPad EMRs allows mobility and make electronic charting more efficient. But beyond this, they enable doctors and patients to experience a fuller, richer interaction.
1. Better Communication – The Key to Patient Satisfaction
All practices are impacted by whether or not the patients are satisfied, engaged, and believe they are receiving quality care. Â According to the 26th Annual HIMSS Leadership Survey, 87% of respondents are making patient satisfaction a top priority for their organizations.
Patients and families appreciate any and all efforts to meet their needs and deliver the information they require. Â iPad EMRs let doctors share information much more quickly than was possible in the past. For instance, a few years ago, a doctor would have encouraged her patient to take a pamphlet home containing information about, say, managing diabetes.
Now that same doctor can pull up relevant educational material right on her tablet, including PDFs, videos and audio files. Together, doctor and patient can explore educational material about the disease, which leads to an overall better patient experience.
2. Engaged Patients
As helpful as it is for physicians to share educational material with their patients during appointments, those patients can become overwhelmed and walk out of the office with more questions than they walked in with.
Mobile technology enables patients to go home and review this information again and at their own pace, as well as share it with concerned family members. Beyond this, and perhaps more importantly, mobile technology allows providers to tailor patient education based on their preferred learning style. For example, while older patients may prefer to read PDF documents, younger patients may want to watch educational videos instead. Those with vision problems can listen to content via MP3 files.
iPad EMRs engage patients, and the more engaged a patient is, the more they will take part in their treatment plan, resulting in better health outcomes. Read More.
