08 Oct 3 Ways Hospitals Continue to Evolve
The evolution of hospitals is truly something to marvel at. Modern-day hospitals perform ground-breaking procedures, unearth new and improved ways of caring for patients, and constantly evolve thanks to regular inspections. Hospitals have had to advance because of the ever-growing demands of the public – and the Guardian reported there are still 5.6 million people waiting for treatment.
With so many people waiting, how are hospitals coping with the increased demand? They’re evolving – and here’s how.
A Better Understanding of Best Practice
Best practice doesn’t apply only to healthcare, but it refers to a method or technique considered superior to standard practice. In healthcare, best practice helps to achieve the all-important gold standard of care. Multidisciplinary teams are in a constant battle to find the best way of dealing with a situation. Take the recent pandemic as an example. Professionals are continuously unearthing the best way of dealing with it as a new problem arises.
The same can be applied to any healthcare scenario. Research teams work tirelessly to understand mistakes, new concepts, and new patient problems to find the best practice. Similarly, nurses and doctors are required to continuously reflect on clinical incidents such as a cardiac arrest, for example, to analyse how things could have gone better.
The constant analysis of how situations can go better is the driving force behind the innovation and evolution of hospitals.
Improving On Old Technology And Equipment
Out with the old in with the new is a saying used frequently for throwing out technology and equipment in a hospital.
That best practice we talked about is one of the reasons behind this. Take the innovative self-retaining retractor from June Medical. Previous retractors were more difficult to use, required more manpower and mainly had a one-use policy. The new and improved version doesn’t need anyone to hold it, can be used multiple times and is far easier to use. That’s evolution! You take something that was already there and find a way to make it better.
Another perfect example is the transfer from paper to medical devices such as the VitalPack in many UK hospitals. Paper trails resulted in lost documents, missed medications, and generally slower practice. The introduction of a tablet to document fluid balances, patient observations, and other clinical data has revolutionised patient care. However, not all hospitals have adopted this practice as of yet.
New and Improved Services
The growing demands of the public mean there are more services than ever before – but that’s perhaps due to the ever-growing perplexity of chronic conditions. There are now clinics held by specialist clinicians, whether a nurse or a doctor, for many medical conditions. Diabetes, cystic fibrosis, developmental delay, breastfeeding, chronic lung disease, postnatal care, there is a clinic for nearly every health condition.
There are so many clinics because there is such a prevalence of conditions that need more intricate care. For example, diabetes clinics started running because so many people were failing to comply with their treatment in the community, so clinics had to be set up as a way of monitoring progress.
Healthcare and hospitals continue to evolve daily. Typically led by research, hospitals consistently find the best ways to deliver patient care. If they don’t, their inspection report will bring it all to light.
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Last Updated on October 8, 2021 by Marie Benz MD FAAD