By Chidimma Oparaochaekwe
Healthcare workers have been urged to look beyond their immediate responsibilities and pay attention to other needs that may affect a patient’s experience, as part of efforts to improve the quality of care beyond the bedside.
The call was made by the facilitator, Mr Demola Aderibigbe, also known as Coach Lalaa, during a Continuing Medical Education, CME, session organised as part of activities marking Customer Service Week at Lagos Island Maternity Hospital under the theme, “The Extra Mile.”
Speaking on “Beyond the Bedside,” Mr Aderibigbe said healthcare workers could become so focused on completing their assigned tasks that they fail to notice other ways they could make patients’ experience better.
He described this as the “blindness of focus”, explaining that excessive concentration on one process could prevent people from seeing alternative solutions, peripheral problems or simple ways to go the extra mile.
He urged healthcare workers to look beyond the task immediately before them and consider what more they could do to make patients feel cared for and supported.
According to him, patient experience is shaped by several touchpoints throughout a visit, and each interaction provides an opportunity to create a positive experience.
Reflecting on his experience at a primary healthcare centre, Aderibigbe said he was able to smile at only two points during the entire visit.
“I was only able to smile at two distinct points throughout the entire visit.”
He said the experience showed that healthcare workers needed to pay attention not only to the service they provide but also to how patients feel at different stages of their interaction with the health system.
Aderibigbe also linked the ability to improve patient experience to creativity, which he described as finding new ways to solve problems or improve the human experience.
“You cannot imagine beyond your exposure.”
He explained that people’s thinking was influenced by their experiences and environment, using the “FREEZER” analogy to identify family, religion, education, economy, zone, entertainment and regime as factors that shape individuals.
He encouraged healthcare workers to broaden their exposure and perspectives so they could identify new ways of responding to challenges and improving patient care.
The facilitator said going the extra mile did not always require major changes, but could begin with recognising what was needed beyond one’s immediate assignment and taking the initiative to respond.
