How your TV can support family caregivers

Whether it’s because of age, disability, or health conditions, many patients rely on family caregivers.

When family caregivers are well-equipped to support patients after discharge, it leads to a smoother transition of care and better post-discharge outcomes.

Using an interactive TV system with education tailored specifically to family caregivers can address common challenges caregivers face while also:

• Reducing caregiver stress & improving their ability to manage post-discharge tasks
• Decreasing the likelihood of hospital readmissions due to improper care
• Enhancing communication between caregivers, patients & healthcare teams
• Providing a scalable, accessible & efficient method to deliver consistent, high-quality education

Here are 4 reasons our nursing team recommends hospitals use interactive TVs for family caregiver education:

1. To overcome barriers when patients are unable to engage

Patients who are too sick to participate: When patients are too ill to actively view or engage with educational materials, family caregivers can step in to learn vital information through the ITV. This ensures continuity in understanding the patient’s needs.

Patients who are unable to care for themselves: For pediatric and advanced-aged patients who rely entirely on others for their care, the ITV provides targeted educational modules designed to prepare caregivers for the specific needs of these vulnerable populations.

2. To prepare caregivers for complex post-discharge tasks

Making care accessible: Upon discharge, family caregivers often take on complicated responsibilities, from medication management to wound care.

The ITV offers tutorials and visual demonstrations to guide caregivers through these tasks, reducing the likelihood of errors and boosting confidence.

Saving clinical time: With effective and efficient education on caregiving tasks, your clinical team won’t have to take extra time to provide the education themselves.

This frees up more time for direct patient care or answering follow-up questions from family caregivers.

3. To provide education without time constraints

Offering flexible access: Family caregivers often have limited time during hospital visits. The ITV allows them to access education on their own schedule, independent of an educator’s availability.

This ensures caregivers can learn at a pace that works for them.

Empowering caregivers: By giving caregivers the tools to learn when it’s convenient, they can watch the education as many times as they need, and bring specific questions they have to the care team.

Doing this, they ultimately are more likely to feel confident and prepared for their role post-discharge.

4. To enhance caregiver understanding with follow-up

Identifying misunderstandings: The ITV includes features like comprehension assessments to assess the caregiver’s understanding of the education instructions they received.

When misunderstandings are identified, additional resources or “teach-back” opportunities can be provided.

Personalizing follow-up: Educators can use documented insights to tailor in-person teaching sessions, focusing on areas where the caregiver may need extra support.

 

Effective education strategies for family caregivers means better experiences for everyone, and better outcomes for patients.