6 Ways to Use Data to Improve Hospital Efficiency and Safety

By Clean Hands - Safe Hands

This is a snippet of the whitepaper: Using Data to Improve Hospital Efficiency and Data. To read the full whitepaper, download it here.

Artificial intelligence, data visualization, predictive analytics – most healthcare professionals have heard terms like these, but been unsure about their meanings, much less their applications. These buzzwords are associated with big data and they have serious applications to healthcare.

Big data is generally used to describe the large amounts of data that an organization has access to that can potentially be put to use. Big data can help organizations find patterns and make predictions for the future if it is done properly. Unfortunately, healthcare tends to lag behind other industries when it comes to utilizing big data. The reality is that our healthcare system is unfortunately not built to use large amounts of data to drive clinical practice change.

Hospitals have more access to big data than many other types of organizations. Data is collected automatically from smart phones, payer records, patient portals, research studies, and electronic medical records. Unfortunately, a large amount of data with mixed formats and contexts can be almost impossible to utilize. The challenge for all industries is determining how to dissect and digest data in order to detect patters and even craft predictions. In other words, hospitals need to make big data small again in order to make it useful.

The transition to value-based healthcare has been a financial challenge for most organizations as they have to transition to newer care models. The pressures to provide better quality care are growing. Patient satisfaction is becoming more important, but facilities are struggling to provide premium care, take care of their staff, and maximize profits.

Historically, hospitals haven’t had the time or resources to sift through large quantities of assorted data, much less take those data points and turn them into actionable insights.

Hospitals using Clean Hands – Safe Hands now have an advantage when it comes to gaining insights into clinical patterns and making decisions for the future. With Clean Hands – Safe Hands, facilities know which clinician is in which patient room and when. This information has a surprising number of benefits.

Improve patient satisfaction by measuring provider visits

Reduce nurse burnout by helping nurses be more efficient with their clinical care

Reduce the risk of falls by developing algorithms that highlight which patients are at risk of falling

Reduce the cost of treating providers by measuring who had contact with a contagious patient and how often

Identify the factors leading to the transmission of an infection

Correct workflow inefficiencies including when and where they happen

Access to this clinical intervention data allows hospitals to find patterns and make changes for the future. Clean Hands – Safe Hands does the data dissecting for its customers, allowing leadership to focus on what’s important: using the data to improve efficiencies and the patient experience within the hospital.