What If We Gave Patients the Skills and Knowledge to Care for Themselves?

© 2021 Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
Long wait times in emergency departments was one of the problems. Giving underinsured or uninsured patients the skills (and the option) to care for themselves turned out to be an innovative solution. Dr. Kavita Bhavan, an Infectious Disease Specialist in Texas, shares a story about patients, for example, self-administering IV antibiotics with a coat hanger. The result of such innovations? Almost 28,000 fewer bed days, $40 million in savings over four years, and a 47 percent reduction in 30-day readmission rates. “We have been able to tap into perhaps the most natural resource available, which is human potential,” says Dr. Bhavan.

Видео What If We Gave Patients the Skills and Knowledge to Care for Themselves? канала Institute for Healthcare Improvement - IHI