Introduction
Clinical reminders are considered one of the most effective tools in administering health care to chronic diseases patients. In my workplace, the policies regarding clinical reminders are considered part of the organizational culture and therefore adhering to them is not just an option but the only choice. Clinical reminders involve a practice of close interrogation the patient on their lifestyles, feeding habits and other aspects that relate to their health. The process does not only involve reminding them what they are expected to do but the organizational policy and guidelines expect that all information recorded from the patient is entered into the health records specific to each patient account. The organization provides health care to chronic disease patients such as diabetes, lung cancer, leukemia and cardiac related diseases. Thus in a nutshell, it is always important to understand the lifestyle, past and present of the patient to be able to offer effective health care.
The purpose of these clinical reminders is to enhance preventative health screening in primary care for chronic patients especially at a time when lifestyles and dietary patterns have proved adverse effects on the rise of chronic diseases among populations. According to the National Association for Healthcare Quality (2013), application of such reminders within the health care process could avert loss of more than 2 million lives annually and associated costs which are estimated to be around $3.7 billion. In that effect, our organization deemed it crucial to integrate this method within the health care process and strictly adhere it for a better healthier society in the now and in the future. Our facility takes into account the effectiveness of evidence-based practice in the use of clinical reminders. This involves using previous health records within the hospital database to advise the patients on what is expected of them in relation to discussions conducted during clinical reminders. Such previous records that have been found effective in the past are used to provide guidelines to the patients (Shaheen , M., Foo, S., Luyt, B., Zhang, X., Theng, Y. L., Chang, Y. K., & Mokhtar, I. A., 2011).
Our patients have always given positive feedback about the clinical reminders discussion platforms and the knowledge they gained from it. In fact most have appreciated that the discussions yielded more benefits to them than the medical procedures they went through. It is therefore quite evident that the support for these reminder programs by the organizational policies has not been based on theoretical proves but practical benefits to patients. The clinical reminder program of which I am directly involved, is the second phase the patient goes through after they report into our facility. The first phase is registration. The patients are then directed to the clinical reminder room where they engage with a nurse in discussions relating to their daily lifestyles and dietary patterns. The use of computer based technology within the organizational procedures has further enhanced the effectiveness of these programs.
However, the biggest challenge in use of these programs within the facility has been time factor. Health discussions between a physician or nurse and the patient should not be limited by time (Shaheen , M., Foo, S., Luyt, B., Zhang, X., Theng, Y. L., Chang, Y. K., & Mokhtar, I. A., 2011). But with the desire to serve as many patients as possible as they arrive in the facility sometimes requires that we spend less time with each patient. This limits the quality of the reminder programs as it becomes hard to balance between time factors and quality if work. In most cases, quality is compromised. In my view therefore, it would be more appropriate to increase the number of nurses in the reminder programs so that more than one patient is served at a time. This reduces undue pressure to deliver quality reminders within limited time for the nurses. Currently, the two nurses working on shifts cannot effectively deliver without affecting the time schedules or the quality of service. Since, these programs have proven to be effective, it is the high time that the organization took measures that won’t compromise on its quality.
References
Crystal Wilkinson, Jane Dimmitt Champion, Karen Sabharwal. (2013). Promoting Preventive Health Screening Through the Use of a Clinical Reminder Tool: An Accountable Care Organization Quality Improvement Initiative. Journal for Healthcare Quality 35 (5), 51-67. Retrieved December 3, 2013,
Shaheen , M., Foo, S., Luyt, B., Zhang, X., Theng, Y. L., Chang, Y. K., & Mokhtar, I. A. (2011). Adopting evidence-based practice in clinical decision making: Nurses' perceptions, knowledge, and barriers. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 99(3), 229-236. Retrieved December 3, 2013,
National Association for Health Quality, (2013). Clinical reminders enhance preventative health screening. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 19, 2013,
