Grand Rapids, MI (June 1, 2016) — Injuries are a leading cause of disability for people of all ages, and they are the leading cause of death for Americans ages one to 44. During National Safety Month, eVideon is encouraging people to learn more about important safety issues during hospital stays.
Falls that result in injury are an ongoing patient safety concern with hospitals. A report from the Joint Commission finds that a fall with injury can increase a hospital stay up to 6.3 days. Although it’s more common for older patients to fall, any patient can be at risk of due to changes in medical condition, surgery, medications or tests that may cause confusion or weakness. (1)
A study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine reports that another major safety concern is medication non-adherence or patients who do not take medications as prescribed. The study states that this is related to “greater morbidity in chronic disease and has been estimated to increase healthcare costs by over $170 billion annually in the United States.” (2)
The research also uncovered that medication class is the strongest predictor of adherence. However, non-adherence was common for newly prescribed medications specifically for chronic conditions like hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes, so interventions targeting medication class may be an effective strategy for improving adherence. (3)
“Since the average adult reads at about the seventh grade level, some patients can struggle with comprehending written instructions for taking their diabetes medication,” said eVideon’s Customer Success Advocate, Kristi Floriana.
When information is delivered in an understandable format, like videos, it can make a difference in increasing safety and lowering readmittance rates. eVideon helps health systems develop libraries of on demand patient education videos and interactive learning tools on safely taking medications, discharge instructions, lifestyle changes and wellness.
With eVideon, patients can automatically be assigned to watch videos on preventing falls, which helps keep them safe and prevents injuries. Features are also designed to help patients relax in the hospital, and help the staff prepare them for discharge.
“Patients who understand the why’s and how’s of hospital safety have shorter stays and reduce their chances of being readmitted,” said Floriana. “It’s imperative hospitals teach their patients why it’s important to ask for help when getting out of bed, how to walk in the hospital, why it’s necessary to take their medications as prescribed, and give them the knowledge and tools to do so.”
About eVideon
eVideon provides hospitals with interactive patient care solutions that engage, educate and entertain patients and visitors, while streamlining workflows for staff. eVideon’s Patient Experience Platform integrates with a variety of EMR systems and hospital applications to extend the hospital’s toolkit of technology investments and deliver bidirectional patient communications, food service, environmental controls and personalized education videos and surveys. Patients enjoy HD TV programming, video on demand and hospital information at any location on televisions, computers and touch screen displays. With installations ranging from large integrated delivery systems to small outpatient clinics, healthcare organizations experience improved patient satisfaction, engagement and outcomes. Learn more at www.evideon.com.
