Roughly 60% of U.S. hospitals say data analytics are a key contributor for increasing efficiency, resourcefulness, and all-around satisfaction in their care environments.
The other 40% are swiftly falling behind when it comes to informed decision-making that not only cuts costs, but improves patient and provider experiences.
So, where does your facility fall?
Analytics are the behind-the-scenes heartbeat of any highly efficient healthcare system. Beyond day-to-day or “front of house” tools that improve functionality for RNs, these metrics put an objective, big-picture view right at healthcare leaders’ fingertips that tells the whole story.
Transforming data into meaningful information has proven to inform more impactful decisions that improve patient outcomes on an individual, floor, department, or enterprise-wide level.
However, sorting through a sea of numbers can be complex without a clear strategy for which figures to focus on. Facilities that implement healthcare analytics solutions tailored to automatically extract the right points, and tell the right story, see improved ROI, efficiency, and safety. And those who use a united interface that does the hard, data-sorting work for them takes this to the next level.
Explore how analytics can be leveraged to elevate critical nursing components — like response times, care timelines, and staffing assignments — as the new must-have within your healthcare environment.
Response Times
It’s no surprise that faster care team responses lead to fewer total patient falls, injuries and pressure ulcers. But if caregivers aren’t there right away to assist patients within just a couple minutes of pressing the call button, they are significantly more likely to stand upright, use the restroom, adjust bandages or IVs themselves, etc. — on their own.
This often leads to falls, post-op complications and other injuries that drastically impact length of stay, overall costs and, in turn, HCAHPS scores that can drive down CMS reimbursement.
The right healthcare analytics tools combat delays in response time by pinpointing key questions, such as:
- When did the patient push their button?
- How long did it take for the caregiver to enter the room?
- Was the patient previously noted for high risk of falls/incidents?
- How can this be prevented in the future?
Using data to gauge the full scenario, analytics can answer these questions with follow-ups like:
- Were responses delayed due to a nurse’s workload, caring for too many patients at once?
- Was the nurse too far from the patient, requiring a more centralized room-to-room plan?
- Did the facility fail to mark a patient as high risk?
These nursing nuances are often overlooked, as healthcare leaders are left to “take what they can get” amid burnt-out workers, sparse clinical talent pools, and high turnover rates post-COVID. And this is why analytical data tailored to your individual facility is more crucial now than ever.
West-Com’s advanced analytics tools are an ideal solution, streamlining the operations to enhance care quality and profitability.
It’s all automated and integrated, so collecting these metrics won’t become yet another item on your to-do list. Here’s how this healthcare data can help:
- Analyze response times to patient requests.
- Visualize patient call activity and quickly identify care exceptions.
- Evaluate staff response times including time spent in patient rooms.
- Identify patient care and staffing trends related to response times.
 See call type volumes and their average response times at a glance. |  View and assess frequency trends by call type. |  Analyze length of calls to pinpoint time-saving tactics. |
Care Timelines & Patient Stories
In order to make informed decisions, you need an informed story. That’s where healthcare analytics highlighting patient and caregiver timelines come into play. All relevant events are displayed in detail hour by hour, from patient activities like bathroom breaks and pain medications to nursing staff tasks like cleaning and rounding.
Patient Stories ensure both healthcare leaders and care teams can visualize complete timelines that enable them to:
- View detailed information surrounding the patient during a specified time frame.
- Analyze response times to patient requests and identify patient care trends.
- Identify patient care assignments during the report’s time period.
- Ensure compliance with hourly rounding, patient mobility, and pain assessment initiatives.
- Reassure patients and families that the quality of care is proactive and unmatched.
Staff Assignments & Workloads
With high burnout and low staffing, workload efficiency is critical for nurse retention and satisfaction. Analytics that automatically document staff assignments alleviate manual tracking as well as keep caregivers from feeling overworked and overwhelmed. With West-Com, you can:
- Replace handwritten paper records for Joint Commission compliance, track patient-to-staff ratios, and view patient acuity assignments.
- See current and previous shifts’ staffing, patient census and call volume details.
- Compare data among staff, shifts, facilities, and enterprises to identify best practices and areas for process improvement.
- Set workflow standards and identify standard exceptions.
- Track performance results for staff, shifts, units, and facilities.
Transform Your Healthcare Operations with Historian Analytics
Big-picture healthcare data that reveals patient trends and tracks outcome-based initiatives can be a game-changer for modern care environments like yours.
By leveraging analytics, healthcare leaders can improve patient and staff satisfaction rates, HCAHPS scores, and ROI significantly over time. Request a demo and get the analytics tools you need for better visibility, better decisions, and better care.
The post How to Enhance Healthcare Decision-Making with Data-Driven Analytics & Reports appeared first on West-Com Nurse Call Systems.