Any ambulatory surgery center CEO or Administrator knows that patients following pre-op and post-op instructions are crucial to your surgery center’s success. When patients follow instructions, ASCs experience better patient outcomes and higher patient satisfaction. Here’s why it’s time to start using video education to deliver pre-op and post-op instructions.
Account for multiple learning styles
While a small number of people can read a pamphlet once and remember all the relevant information, most of us need another method of communication. Incorporating multiple types of media into your patient communication flow accounts for various learning styles. Sending pre-op and post-op videos can be beneficial for those who are visual, auditory, and sensory learners.
Increase safety
One of the biggest reasons to improve your patient education is to improve safety. Research has long shown that adequate education improves patient’s adherence to pre-op and post-op guidelines.
Your videos can include everything from fasting requirements to medication adherence to avoiding tobacco and alcohol. When patients follow instructions, there is a direct correlation to positive outcomes and decreased risk of complications.
Reduce anxiety
Studies have shown that pre-op education helps to decrease patient anxiety. Having a conversation or phone call about pre-op instructions is beneficial. But what’s more helpful is when patients have resources at home to remind them of what they need to do before their surgery.
Videos provide accessible, personalized instructions that patients can watch multiple times to feel more at ease. You can even schedule your videos so that patients are receiving reminders at the optimal times before surgery.
No one wants to fill out an experience survey when they’re still in the recovery room. But getting patients to participate in exit surveys after they’ve left your ASC can be a challenge. In addition to sending survey reminders, post-op instructional videos can provide much-needed reminders for patients regarding follow-up care and recovery.
When patients get videos after their surgery, there is a sense that they are still being cared for and remembered. Research has shown that patients are more likely to fill out satisfaction surveys when they have the option to complete the surveys on their own time.
Provide value
Perhaps the most important part of sending pre-op and post-op instructions is to provide value to the patient. Patients receiving generalized videos about what they might be able to expect don’t necessarily feel encouraged or at ease. You need a digital solution that integrates the patient’s medical information directly to your communication tool to send targeted messages. Not only will your patient’s satisfaction increase, but you’ll also be saving your staff time so that they can focus more on direct patient care.
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