8 SEPTEMBER 2023IN MY OPINIONBy Joseph Hart, Director, Patient Transport, Crothall Healthcare Transport Associates-- The Unsung HeroesPatient Transport is one of the most valuable and critical frontline services that can be provided within our healthcare organizations. Such services are provided at UChicago Medicine - Ingall's Memorial Hospital, located in Harvey, Illinois, where I perform the role of Director of Patient Transport, for Crothall Healthcare. Our transport department averages approximately 90,000 transport trips annually, servicing all patient care and treatments areas throughout the organization. Implementing this service line into a healthcare facility allows for the registered nurses and certified nursing assistants to remain at the bedside to focus on patient care treatment plans without having to figure out the logistics of trying to get patients to and from test sites or procedural areas. Keeping medical staff at the bedside can assist in increasing patient experience and satisfaction scores, decreasingpatient falls, timely rounding, quicker response time to call lights, etc. Transport services also assists with improving organizational throughput, to ensure patients are efficiently flowing through the organization while receiving appropriate care.The knowledge required to perform such duties is minimal, considering it is a frontline service position requiring no prior work experience or educational achievements. However, there are valuable qualities that are to be considered when interviewing potential candidates. Obtaining associates who possess a charismatic, energetic, caring, and outgoing attitude is valuable when developing a winning team. The objective is to provide exceptional transport services throughout a patient's entire hospital stay. Cultivating a well-rounded team, of individuals who are in the position for the right reasons, tends to create positive impacts on our patients and their overall experience.Transport associates also play a key role in patient experience. A patient's experience is important because healthcare outcomes tend to improve when patients are receiving better care. Transporters contribute to a patient's experience because they spend approximately 20-35 minutes with each patient they are assigned to transport. While the interactions are minimal and for short periods of time, they can be quite valuable and impactful. During these interactions, it is important that a patient feels seen, safe, respected, and cared for. Crothall uses its Positive Impressions training to prepare transport associates to connect with their patients, using a simple and light conversation about a show on the television, flowers on the windowsill, sports, or the weather outside. The goal is to distract a patient from the reality of their current medical situation. This conversation, if done correctly, could change the perception of that patient's day, giving them a positive outlook on their medical stance or the unknown they have yet to face. Joseph Hart
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