Patient-centred care is changing how hospitals improve patient health outcomes by putting patients in the driver seat of their care. The World Health Organization defines patient-centred care as “empowering people to take charge of their own health rather than being passive recipients of services.”
According to Statistics Canada, in 2021, 6% of households used formal home care. More in-home care means that more patients with various treatment plans require a trusted healthcare logistics partner to pick up and deliver medical equipment supplies to and from homes and hospitals.
As a medical device provider, ensuring the timely delivery of critical medical supplies while complying with supply chain logistics rules and regulations and proper packaging, is essential to supporting patient-centred care. Keep reading to learn how to improve your client’s patient care practice and ensure your medical device deliveries arrive when and where they’re needed.
What is patient-centred care?
Patient-centred care is a framework to accomplish overall interaction between patients and healthcare providers. Its defining characteristics include partnering with patients and families and personalizing care to preserve patients’ normal routines as much as possible.
To accomplish this, physicians, nurses and healthcare professionals must be trained to listen to, inform and consult patients throughout many healthcare touchpoints. They also consider individual preferences, needs and values when making clinical decisions.
Characteristics of the patient-centred healthcare system include:
- Education and shared knowledge
- Involvement of family-centred care
- Collaboration and team management
- Sensitivity to nonmedical and spiritual dimensions of care
- Respect for patient needs and preferences
- Free flow and accessibility of information
- Investing in healthcare logistics and supply chain
Healthcare logistics market to reach value of $143,344 million USD by 2029
Seven essential healthcare logistics and supply chain must-haves for seamless medical equipment and supplies logistics
The well-being of your client’s patients depends on medical equipment and prescription deliveries arriving on time, intact and in accordance with shipping regulations. Achieving patient-centred care involves an easy access supply chain and delivery for professionals and patients. Medical logistics plays a vital role in bridging the gap between healthcare providers and patients by ensuring timely delivery of pharmaceuticals, surgical supplies and medical equipment. Below are the seven must-haves your supply chain needs to ensure your clients can deliver a patient-centred care experience:
1. Speed
When shipping medical supplies to a hospital, clinic or at home, having reliable next-day delivery is crucial for outcomes. For scheduled procedures where every minute counts, look for the fastest shipping solution.
2. Coverage
To accommodate all of your clients, having a transportation provider with extensive network coverage, including remote areas, is a must. For example, Purolator services 100% of Canadian postal codes, ensuring that patients get the care they need, no matter where they are. With Canada’s large geographic size, it is important to partner with a transportation provider who can fulfill your national orders cost-efficiently from a single origin distribution centre. In contrast, a more costly distribution model requires multiple distribution centres set up regionally to accommodate slower carrier transit times.
3. Cross-border shipping expertise
According to the International Trade Administration, medical device imports account for nearly 75% of the medical device market. With this high percentage of imports, it is important to work with an experienced cross-border transportation provider who can secure medical devices from other countries that patients need.
4. End-to-end supply chain logistics capabilities
Reputational value is everything in the healthcare industry. When shipping medical devices it is important they stay safe and secure in a closed loop network. Fewer shipment handoffs means a reduced risk of damages and theft as well as total package visibility across its shipping journey. Having an all-in-one medical device logistics and fulfillment provider gives you more control and an improved delivery experience for you and your customer.
5. Seamless returns experience
Being prepared to manage returns is a key element of the healthcare supply chain. Efficiently getting critical medical supplies back into your warehouse is a step closer to getting them into the right hands. To ensure a seamless returns process, choose a provider that offers reverse logistics and disposal solutions to ensure hazardous items and other medical supplies get recycled or disposed of appropriately.
6. Shipping medical marijuana in Canada
Medical cannabis requires strict handling regulations throughout the supply chain. It’s good to note that only a licensed producer (approved by Health Canada) can ship medical marijuana, and they can only ship it to patients registered on Health Canada’s network. Furthermore, each province has a different distribution plan. Following these regulations, while working with a shipping provider who understands them, can help prevent potential delays.
7. Providing a safe prescription delivery
Some patients prefer to receive their prescription medication directly at their home address, rather than going to a pharmacy. However, shipping fragile and/or temperature-sensitive drugs requires a safe delivery that’s received by the right recipient. A shipping provider who’s experienced with safely delivering prescription medication will include:
- End-to-end tracking that provides visibility for the patient and the pharmacy
- Special handling for fragile and/or temperature-sensitive deliveries
- Urgent and time-sensitive shipping options
- Adult Signature Required for the safety of minors
Learn how Purolator helped Switch Health patients from across Canada receive the care they needed with the fastest shipping times.
Focus on your clients, Purolator will handle the rest
The right delivery provider is an extension of your brand, helping you enhance your brand loyalty and reputation. On top of that, they’ll have a good understanding of your business’ needs, a wealth of experience in your industry and offer flexible solutions that meet changing consumer demand.
As a trusted medical device shipping provider, Purolator is here for you to help enable your clients to provide the best patient-centred care when it comes to their shipping and delivery. Enjoy the benefits of a closed loop network and Purolator’s 150+ facilities that provide 100% coverage throughout Canada. Additionally, Purolator offers safe prescription delivery solutions while managing your medical reverse logistics. Get peace of mind and free up valuable time to focus on what matters most for your business, not your logistics.