The John Hopkins Hospital’s Relationships With the Community
The John Hopkins Hospital
The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, is one of the most well-known hospitals in the country. Its school of medicine is considered to be one of the strongest institutions nationwide and has initiated a number of medical standards that are now adopted in other clinical facilities. This essay will discuss several aspects of the hospital’s relationships with the community, which include the impact on growth, and service, the impact of technologies on healthcare delivery, and emerging technology-related trends.
Impact on Growth
The change that is going to be discussed in this paper is the introduction of a new ventilation system in the Johns Hopkins Hospital. The event that has happened in the past and resulted in the introduction of this change is the rapid spread of infectious diseases common in the late 19th century. At the time, the germ theory of disease was still in the early stage of its development, and most people had misleading ideas about what causes the spread of infections. John Shaw Billings, renowned for designing the construction plans for the Johns Hopkins Hospital, supported the idea that impure air played a role in the spread of infections.
Shortly after the hospital was opened in 1889, Billings developed a new ventilation system to prevent contaminated airflow. He arranged the system so that “air in the rooms of the isolation ward first passed over heating coils in the basement” (Behr, 2020; par. 17). This made the air “rise through holes in the floor and be pulled up through the patient’s private chimney” (Behr, 2020; par. 17). This and other construction changes and innovations allowed to improve airflow in the hospital.
Service
The Johns Hopkins Hospital provides the community with a wide range of in-patient and out-patient services, as well as volunteer opportunities. The latest include such collaboration programs as Art Cart, Breast Cancer, and Child Life (John Hopkins Medicine, n.d.). One example of a program that provides the community with valuable experience related to health care is the Patient and Family Advisory Councils program. The meetings are organized by the hospital staff members and are dedicated to improving “in patient and family centered care at The Johns Hopkins Hospital” (Meadowcroft, 2021, par. 4). The meetings of the Advisory Councils are attended by “past and present patients, their families, community members and leaders, and Johns Hopkins staff members” (Meadowcroft, 2021, par. 4). The councils assist the community by sharing professional advice and personal experience with those who need it. The discussions help to raise public awareness about the ways to improve family-centered care, which, in turn, improves patient safety and health outcomes. The meetings are held on a monthly basis, which has allowed the establishment of close relationships between the hospital and the community.
Impact on Healthcare Delivery
The Johns Hopkins Hospital uses technological tools and medical software in different aspects of health care. These include analytics, innovative research, telemedicine, and care delivery. The hospital also has a single, integrated electronic medical record called Epic (Epic overview, 2021). The hospital’s advanced analytics team constantly works on developing new programs with the use of technology. Some projects include algorithms to help predict patients’ health outcomes, ways “to monitor the effectiveness of the treatment,” systems to measure diagnostic errors, and tools to visualize and analyze clinical data (“Advanced Analytics, n.d.). Advances in telemedicine allow connecting patients with their families and provide professional care to those undergoing in-house treatment.
Care delivery is also facilitated and perfected by means of technological advances. For example, a recently developed mobile application allows clinicians to submit their prescriptions to certain pharmacies electronically. Another tablet-based app makes it easier “to assess the cognitive function of people with multiple sclerosis” (John Hopkins Medicine, n.d.). Epic is also constantly developed, and new features are added to improve the treatment processes, as well as communication between patients and clinicians.
Emerging Trends
As mentioned above, technologies are extensively used in the Johns Hopkins Hospital. One of the latest developments and an emerging trend is MyChart Bedside, an application that “allows patients to view their lab results, track vital signs and medications” (Digital health day showcases latest innovations, 2019, par. 3). Loaded onto all the iPads “at all 850 in-patient adult beds” at the hospital, the app can also be used to check the patients’ treatment and prescription medications. In addition, patients and their family members can find information about medical procedures they have to follow and appointments they have to make.
The main purposes of the app are consistent with some of the basic initiatives of the Johns Hopkins Hospital. The latter refers to increasing the patient’s understanding of the treatment processes, promoting healthy habits and routines, and ensuring that all patients have full access to healthcare services. The information on the patients’ accounts regarding their treatment history and medical procedures implemented is available on the app even after the patient is discharged. The success of MyChart Bedside demonstrates that digital health care tools can be highly beneficial, as they help to establish a stronger bond between a patient and a doctor, between one’s home and hospital.
References
Advanced analytics. (n.d.). Johns Hopkins Medicine. Web.
Behr, Z. (2020). How the Johns Hopkins hospital was built | Johns Hopkins Medicine. Johns Hopkins Medicine, based in Baltimore, Maryland. Web.
Digital health day showcases latest innovations. (2019). Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures. Web.
Epic overview. (2021). Johns Hopkins Medicine. Web.
John Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). Patient services. JHHS Landing Page. Web.
Meadowcroft, E. (2021). Patient and family advisory councils. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Web.