# The healthcare professionals have spoken

Canonical source: [https://www.braver.net/en/blog/the-healthcare-professionals-have-spoken/](<https://www.braver.net/en/blog/the-healthcare-professionals-have-spoken/>)

The Braver journal

On our last blog post, we talked to you about our experience with the latest Braver Talk. It is now time to put on the glasses of the health professionals and share with you what we have learned from them.

![Marie-Lou Gagnon](<https://www.braver.net/blog-assets/39b0cb41df4807f1f2af-960.webp>)

 Marie-Lou Gagnon November 23, 2019

![The healthcare professionals have spoken](<https://www.braver.net/blog-assets/legacy-78e29bea9b522462c2cc-960.webp>)

Let's start with a little context: the theme of the evening was *"Alone we help individuals, together we can help our healthcare system"*. We had four groups of health professionals attending the workshops in a round table format. What we wanted was for the professionals to reflect together on the impact that a network of health professionals such as Braver could have on our society. And not surprisingly, the professionals shared their thoughts with us in a well-supported and extremely insightful way. These reflections represent a valuable resource for Braver because they not only contribute to the narrative we are trying to create, but they also further solidify our vision in the real world.

Here are these famous stories, divided into categories:

## Effectiveness

All the professionals have told us, each in their own way, how a connected community would save them time. They have very busy schedules and the reduction of time invested in maintaining records and in communication tasks is a crucial point for them: they have a strong desire to be more efficient and to reduce their workload. They also identified the potential for more effective follow-up and patient management by other professionals. The reduction of costs was also discussed, i.e., that more effective communication could reduce medical errors, possible complications and even the examinations prescribed to patients. Lastly, it was mentioned that a network of professionals would make it possible to reduce waiting times by optimizing procedures, for example by referring patients to the right professional more quickly.

## Security/Confidentiality

Health professionals believe that a network of health professionals where it is easy to communicate and have a history of such communication would greatly improve the forensic aspect of interprofessional collaboration.

## Better teamwork

The professionals have also stated that the existence of a network such as Braver would offer the opportunity to improve teamwork. This could be achieved by increasing trust between professionals, facilitating communication and a more interdisciplinary approach. It was also noted that shared engagement among health professionals could have a positive impact on the motivation of the patient. A network that more clearly presents the profile of the various professionals in the community would also provide an opportunity to improve knowledge of the roles of each one and promote networking. Professionals even pointed out that the Braver network would promote team spirit and that it would give the feeling "that we are part of a family and that we are supported by our peers.

## Better Care

A network of health care professionals talking to each other and helping each other also translates into better care, according to the people at Braver Talk. Information could flow more easily and professionals would be better informed about the progress of their patients in other areas of their health (as long as the patient consents, of course). The potential for improving the quality of care and management of patients and for increasing preventive care (easier and faster referral to the right professional) was also discussed.

In this category, professionals also mentioned the concept of sustainable healthcare, which has been widely discussed in recent times and which is a priority for both the universities and our government.

A quick note about the concept of sustainable health:

**Sustainable Health = Environment + Biological and Chemical Factors**

Sustainable health is often referred to as *"healthy populations in healthy environments"*, and *"considering prevention involves taking a multidisciplinary view"* ([source](<https://nouvelles.ulaval.ca/recherche/pour-tous-la-sante-durable-310f630188d05fefd98af769f7409627>)). This means approaching health in a less fragmented way and actively involving the patient. As you can see, the concept of sustainable health is very wide-ranging and encompasses a number of different actors. Health professionals nevertheless considered that a network of health professionals could be a positive factor in this great mission of sustainable health.

## Patient-centered approach

The patient is also, of course, at the heart of the matter. A community of health professionals working closely together would therefore be able to offer a better experience for the patient by putting him or her at the heart of the conversation. This could lead to an increase in shared commitment between patients and professionals.

A more prominent and patient-centered communication could ensure that the information that patients receive from the various professionals is more consistent. This kind of communication would also have the capacity to make patients more responsible and more engaged in their own health. In short, this network would be able to provide more patient-centered care.

## Better trajectory of care

First and foremost, providing access to the geolocalized profiles of health professionals would make it easier to direct patients to the right resources. Second, a community of professionals that communicates more efficiently and more easily directs patients to the right resources would have the capacity to improve the quality of the continuum of care in our healthcare system. One can imagine that the improvement of this continuum and trajectory of care would be of great benefit to our aging population.

## Climate of Fulfillment

Improved patient confidence in our healthcare system, improved public opinion, and increased satisfaction among healthcare professionals and patients were also highlighted as impacts. Moreover, health professionals' sense of competence has increased, and they have the opportunity to improve their knowledge with the support of other professionals in the network. All of these elements would greatly contribute to developing a climate of trust and fulfillment within the health sector.

What about Braver?

Now that we know the potential of such a community thanks to the valuable insights of health professionals, we had fun (!) thinking about the interrelationship between these different categories. Following Maslow's pyramid, we sought to position the above categories at different levels of impact on the health system, from the most technical (bottom) to the most emotional (top).

![https://storage.googleapis.com/braver-public-content/les-professionels-de-la-sante-ont-parle/inuchuk-chart-en.png](<https://www.braver.net/blog-assets/legacy-54d5e3a06de827d6dc05-960.webp>)

From our perspective, Braver - the communication application and the network of professionals - is at the bottom of the pyramid. We are specifically addressing efficiency, safety, patient-focused communication, and facilitation of teamwork. The upper levels are then the indirect effects of the presence of a solution such as Braver. Simply put, a solid foundation paves the way to the healthcare system that we all aspire to.