Patient education can occur throughout the patient stay, sometimes structured around specific objectives and other times in response to opportunities in the care process. In any of these scenarios there are opportunities to empower patients with the information they need to better care for themselves when they leave the hospital. With increasingly shorter patient stays, there is a greater need for efficient methods of teaching.

The Medication Teaching Pathway automates several steps to create a more efficient workflow. Once admission medications and new prescriptions are entered into the hospital information system (HIS), the GetWellNetwork system pulls the list of medications from the patient’s medication administration record (MAR) and displays the list to the patient via the bedside TV. When new medications are prescribed or discontinued throughout their stay, patients receive automated prompts through the TV that inform them of the changes to their prescriptions. This helps caregivers consistently deliver medication teaching to each and every patient.

When patients receive the HCAHPS survey after discharge they are more likely to select the top box answer that their new medication were always explained to them. Patients and caregivers alike can access the educational content quickly, effortlessly and as often as they need. Once patients have completed the education, the GetWellNetwork system is capable of automatically documenting this information to the patient’s electronic medical record (EMR).