MONTHLY MARKET INSIGHT
Volume 3/ Issue 2 / March 2015
SENSORY OVERLOAD
Spotlight

Sensory Overload

The Human Touch

Customers are
People, Too

SMI Upcoming
Events
Alarm fatigue occurs when staff is exposed to an excessive number of alarms
and it can result in sensory overload. This sensory overload can cause staff to
become desensitized to the alarms that may result in delayed alarm response
or missed alarms. And it's really not just about the noise as alarm fatigue has
led to sentinel events. With hundreds of alarms ringing on a daily basis most of them false or not actionable - it is easy to understand how nurses
and other clinicians could easily succumb to alarm fatigue and delay their
response or ignore alarms altogether.
“Although monitor alarms are designed to keep patients safe, the
biggest risk they pose today is alarm fatigue caused by the sheer
number of alarms bombarding hospital staff."– Rebecca Hepp
Failed responses can lead to patient harm; but too many alarms can lead to
nursing fatigue and potentially burnout. Looking for and exploring
opportunities to alleviate unnecessary alarms and decreasing nursing
sensory overload are critical to improving patient care in the hospital setting.
THE HUMAN TOUCH
Understanding each
stakeholder’s unique needs.
There was a recent article in Forbes: Why Technology May Not Fix the
Medication Adherence Problem. I really enjoyed reading this piece and it
made think about how even though technology brings great advantages, it
cannot replace humans and human touch. Admittedly, I have almost become
addicted to my FitBit – or should I say adherent to wearing/using it every
day? And Biotech companies are taking advantage of opportunities to use
non-noninvasive technology with patients. However, technology cannot
replace human touch or feelings.
1. Patients are people and inherently have their own biases, preferences and
feelings. Texting reminders, putting alarms on bottles and monitoring doses can be seen as invasive by some –
and forcing these different types of technology on everyone will miss the boat.
2. Some people don’t want to be reminded on a daily, weekly or monthly basis that they are “sick” and pills or shots
can be seen as unfriendly reminders
3. Not everyone trusts medicine, their doctors or pharmaceutical companies- they don’t believe their best interests
are kept in mind.
The healthcare team is critical in the sharing of information, understanding, listening, etc. And while we live in a
world of technology and that should be embraced – but not replaced for being human.
Learn.Individualize.Activate.Achieve.Compete
CUSTOMERS ARE PEOPLE, TOO
Clients often ask why their customers or stakeholders don’t
understand their messages, put their drug on formulary or
even just open the door for an initial conversation. While there
are many approaches, I prefer simple: Remember that your
customers or stakeholders are PEOPLE, not a business unit,
not a department, but PEOPLE. They are People who:

Are held accountable for their jobs, work goals, etc.

Have different behaviors and behavior drivers
Contact Us

Have values
Strategic Market Insight
1.978.429.8744 (office)
[email protected]

Have priorities
www.strategicmarketinsightllc.com
Blog: www.healthcareclever.com
And most importantly,

Need to hear a story, be engaged and understand why
the information and data you are sharing with them is not only
relevant for your company, for potential patients but also for
them.
Taking time to understand a situation from their perspective
demonstrates connection which can help them trust you –
which leads to feeling confident in you, your insights and
knowledge.
SMI UPCOMING CONFERENCE EVENTS
March 8-11, Amy will be hosting a Poster session titled: Nurses’ Awareness
Related to Postsurgical Pain, Opioids and Opioid-related Adverse Events and leading a roundtable discussion with
nurses at this year’s AORN Surgical Conference & EXPO (Denver, CO).
March 26-27 Amy will be a Presenter and
Panelist with 18 esteemed colleagues at the HEOR
and Market Access Workshop. There are 2 tracks:
one for HEOR Executives and one for Medical
Writers. Register today to learn more effective
writing and communications for Health Outcomes, Market Access and Value Messaging!
http://www.healtheconomics.com/heor-writing-workshop/
March 31, Amy will be hosting a free 1-hour Webinar: Communicate and Be Heard. Join this session to gain tips on
understanding your customers as people first, recognizing their points of resistance and using this information for a
successful engagement. Register today: http://smi.ticketleap.com/communicate-and-be-heard/
Learn.Individualize.Activate.Achieve.Compete