In Ontario and across Canada, home care landscapes are changing. The needs of patients are shifting, and frontline practitioners are being confronted by a whole lot of new challenges. At Aetonix, we regularly explore what these changes mean for care coordinators.
Compared to most health care professionals, care are coordinators fill a relatively new role. If you occupy one of these positions, you need to be highly adaptable. Being aware of trends and potential upcoming obstacles is key.
In this post, we’ll look at five times we delved into the current and future challenges involved in of care coordination.
1) Overhauling Home Care Means Doing More With Less. Here’s How.
The Ontario government has begun to recognize the true value of home care, which is a very good thing. Recent funding has made a major difference in the sector, but it doesn’t go far enough. Health care budgets are strained, which means home care decision makers need to find innovative ways of making the most of every dollar.
Care coordinators have an important role to play. You’re on the frontline. You talk to patients and work with practitioners across disciplines. You have insight into areas where the need is greatest—and this insight should inform your work everyday.
In this post, published in November of 2016, we take a close look at some of the ways that care coordinators can make the most of existing resources.
2) The Future of Care Coordinator-Physician Collaboration
Less than one-third of family doctors say that they (or their staff members) routinely communicate with their patients’ home care care coordinators or case managers. This Health Quality Ontario statistic is alarming. It prompted us to look closer at the relationship between physicians and care coordinators.
Because care coordinator is a relatively new position, doctors aren’t always aware of the scope of your role. This is an obstacle, no doubt. Luckily, the future look promising.
In this June, 2017 post, we look at ways that care coordinators can work with physicians to improve patient care. Forging these relationships is possible. You have a complete understanding of patients and their conditions, which actually makes you a tremendous resource to family doctors.
3) Why Patient Education Fails so Often
As more people receive care at home, patient education is becoming increasingly important. But learning and adhering to self care regiments and lifestyle changes isn’t always easy.
Needless to say, care coordinators can help make things better. Everyday, you see how patients struggle to adapt to living with their conditions at home. As a result, patient education is an area where your input is especially valuable.
But what, specifically, can you do to help? Engage in active listening. Get involved in developing better educational content. Encourage decision makers to consider investing in programs that help patients learn. This post from December of 2016 looks at some of the lessons care coordinators can learn from patient education success stories.
4) Sharing Info: One of the Biggest Care Coordination Challenges
In home care, it’s important for patients, caregivers, and health practitioners to be on the same page. This means ensuring that everyone has access to relevant health and treatment information.
Unfortunately, ensuring this access isn’t as simple as it sounds. There’s no shortage of information-sharing challenges in home care—from the geographic distance between circle of care members, to the often inconsistent documentation practices of care team members.
Technology can simplify this type of communication. But once the decision has been made to adopt a digital solution, new questions start to emerge. Is there a learning curve involved for nurses and other frontline workers? Will patient information be secure?
As the home care landscape changes, these questions are becoming more urgent. In this June, 2017 post, we delve into the answers.
