Sticky Note vs. Digital Workflows: Which should you rely on for better patient care?

By Samantha Davis Knapp BSN, RN

Communication matters. It matters in personal and professional relationships, and it matters in healthcare to ensure the best possible patient outcomes.

Whether it’s between providers, between the patient and their provider(s), or between staff members, good communication is a necessity. In recent years, many healthcare delivery organizations have placed an emphasis on improved data sharing, so why aren’t we making more progress in how we manage care? Why do we still use so many sticky notes?

Imagine this scenario:

Aunt Debbie calls the clinic on Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend because she’s concerned about her foot wound. She had a clinic visit for the wound a week earlier, but something just isn’t right. Debbie tells the receptionist, Jane, that the wound is now very red and has an unpleasant odor. Jane writes down Debbie’s information and says that either a nurse or doctor will call back. 

As they hang up, a nurse brings two patient charts to the desk to have Jane schedule them for procedures. The note with Debbie’s information gets stuck to the back of one of the patient charts.  After being distracted by the scheduling requests and now missing the note, Jane forgets about her conversation with Debbie. The clinic staff goes home for the long weekend. 

By Monday afternoon, Debbie is so concerned about the foot wound that she goes to the ED, where she learns she will need emergency surgery to amputate three toes. 

This devastating outcome might have been avoided if the wound clinic had a better communication system to ensure rapid intervention for Debbie’s wound.

To many, the above scenario may seem like a rarity, but it isn’t. Effective communications, clearly defined workflows, and better digital tools are still needed to prevent dangerous gaps in care.

The right clinical workflow management tool can dramatically improve communication and coordination in a clinic. It can capture all aspects of patient treatment in a centralized location, ease hand-offs between departments, and provide visibility for all team members (including those outside the facility). Staff avoids the risk of the dreaded “lost sticky note” with quick notifications to other team members about patient needs.

The next time you visit a clinical department, I invite you to look around and consider how the staff keeps track of patient treatment. Are they relying on manual processes, printed flowcharts, or other “old school” techniques? If so, you may have valuable opportunities to improve how you support patients and ensure that your next patient doesn’t fall through the cracks.