I recently spent four days shadowing care teams at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, a 209-bed acute care hospital located in Portsmouth, NH. During that time, department managers guided me as I observed the clinical workflows across the hospital.  It was a valuable opportunity to engage with our customers and view first-hand their daily routines and pain points.  Having the opportunity to spend time with clinicians in the hospital was invaluable in helping me better understand my customer’s needs.

Everyone I met enthusiastically explained the various aspects of their job.  I listened to managers detail the intricacies of their departments and challenges their people face.  I shadowed nurses as they made their rounds and attended to patients.  Several technicians described in detail the tests and procedures they perform and then allowed me to watch them in action, explaining every step as they went.

I was excited to observe specific areas where our clinical communications solution could make a difference.  A pharmacy technician explained the need for secure texting since physicians are often unable to answer a phone call. I witnessed nursing staff chasing each other down the hallway to deliver messages and saw their tasks blocked until they could locate a physician. MH-CURE’s ability to expedite clinician workflows and improve the patient experience has never been clearer.

For folks stuck in the office, your customers can be nameless, faceless entities.  Like a corporate team-building exercise, spending one-on-one time with hospital administrators and clinicians made them real and personal – part of the larger team.

On my last day at the hospital I had the rare opportunity to observe an open chest coronary bypass surgery.  The surgeon asked me the purpose of my visit.  I explained that I was spending time in each clinical department to better understand the needs of the hospital’s care teams.  He replied “Your company is smart.  I wish more of our vendors took the time to do this.”