More and more, health systems are addressing the concept of patient-centered care and ISO is at the forefront of this development.
Industry experts expect significant changes to shake up the healthcare landscape in the next few years, which will affect both practitioners and patients. Many are the result of a shift toward value-based care, a move toward putting patients at the centre of the healthcare staffing strategy, for an all-round better quality of care. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced health systems to change, with health workers being trained in quality improvement to help support the design of new systems for the future.
Patient choice, voice and satisfaction have become focal points in healthcare. Such empowerment allows patients to make more choices about where, when and by whom medical care is received. When patients are dealing with a health issue, they are at their most vulnerable and their expectations for seamless, empathetic treatment are heightened. Thus, the real measure of good care is often the patient experience. To ensure this experience is positive, healthcare organizations need to develop a culture that places people at the centre of the care process – and that includes staffing.
The good news is that the smallest changes can make the biggest difference. Improved organizational agility, data efficiency and streamlined communication with patients and across the care team can lead directly to a better quality of care. Facilitating the transition toward patient-centred care models, ISO is working on a standard – ISO 22956 – that puts the patient at the core of the healthcare staffing strategy. Being developed by technical committee ISO/TC 304, Healthcare organization management, this timely standard outlines requisite actions for the creation of an effective staffing plan that leads to improved patient outcomes.
