At PrefCards, we have been working for years to improve the way our healthcare system works with healthcare professionals to ensure that we meet their most pressing needs. Our focus has always been on modernizing and innovating in the medical preference card space to improve communication between the parties involved directly or indirectly in a surgical procedure. The ultimate goal of our work has always been to facilitate the daily life of healthcare professionals.
In our quest for continuous improvement, we have spoken to thousands of surgeons who currently use some version of preference cards in the medical institutions in which they work, and we have found that for more than 80% of surgeons, the challenge or main problem they encounter is keeping their cards up to date at all times.
Guided by this insight, our team continued to gather information to develop the best solution for those who need a modern, highly readable medical preference card with all the information necessary to do their best in any operation they have to perform in the operating room.
Solving the problem of keeping medical preference cards up to date will help surgeons do a better job of caring for their patients and help healthcare facilities reduce their margins for waste and misuse of medical equipment and materials. It’s a win-win situation.
That’s why we strive to determine what elements make a high-performance medical preference card. And we came up with a layout that facilitates readability without sacrificing the number of features on the card or its ability to be personalized.
Our template is free to download and includes all the elements to make the difference compared to the conventional preference cards that many surgeons are trying to replace with a better alternative.
Our template includes eight elements that, according to the data we were able to obtain from the surgeon community, are crucial to achieving an optimal level of personalization and functionality in preference cards. Let’s see what those elements are:
Important Notes
One of the main elements of the card is the top section, which contains the notes with the most critical information for performing the surgical procedure in question.
Customized Note Sections
Another section of notes is necessary to allow the surgeon to have the ideal conditions inside the operating room. This section includes details such as indications for preparing the patient, the type and size of the surgeon’s gloves, or the type of music they prefer to listen to.
Clear Names
This is self-explanatory, but it is vitally important to have the names of the items clearly on the card, thus avoiding problems of legibility or interpretation.
Inventory Images
To accompany the effort to avoid interpretation errors, including a small image of the items is vitally important.
Inventory Numbers
The number of items together with the image should clarify any margin for doubt or interpretation by the reader of the card.
Prices
Relating the preference card directly to the medical center’s inventory allows you to have the price of each item on the card.
Item Notes
Including specific notes on each item can be highly useful in certain scenarios commonly faced by surgeons.
If you want to learn more about how to successfully implement preference cards in your medical institution, sign up for a free surgeon account, request a demo, call us, or contact us online: https://demo.prefcards.com/?_ga=2.33395960.711769887.1630815588-1036022301.1630815588