Here’s another great TEDMED presentation. Tim O’Reilly, founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media Inc, is thought to be the best computer book publisher in the business, and he uses his expertise and love of innovation, collaboration, and open-source software to talk about their applications to healthcare. His goal is to ‘change the world by spreading the knowledge of innovators’.
How do you innovate? How is that applicable to the future of healthcare?
Here’s a quiz: In a survey, pediatric ICU physicians claimed to wash their hands between patients 73% of the time. What was the actual percentage, after a period of observation?
a.) 80% b.) 40% c.) 73% d.) 10%.
One more: What percentage of infectious diseases are transmitted by touch?
a.) 30% b.) 80% c.) 55% d.) 68%
Check out the correct answers after the jump…
How can a shoe retailer and a great patient experience possibly be related? Well, when you think about them both in terms of customer service, it actually makes perfect sense. Zappos, the online shoe retailer, is famous for their go-above-and-beyond customer service. (Check out their recent ad campaign for an example. Their tag line, Powered by Service, says it all.)
Zappos’ mission statement is ‘Create Happiness’. Everything they do revolves around trying to create happiness for their consumers. This should be the motto for the healthcare industry as well. Obviously, shoes and healthcare are different things, but whether it’s a nurse taking a temperature, a doctor performing an examination, or even a company making products used in a healthcare environment, their goal should be to do it compassionately and with empathy.
“A recent Health Affairs survey of 800 recently hospitalized patients and 510 physicians found broad agreement that compassionate care is “very important” to successful medical treatment. However, only 53 percent of patients and 58 percent of physicians said that the healthcare system generally provides compassionate care.” So there is currently a compassion gap that needs filling in healthcare – maybe this is the perfect time to create some happiness. What can you do in your work to ‘create happiness’ for your customers?
