Drug Addiction Help: How Care Management Can Get Patients the Care They Need

What does it take to care for someone struggling with drug addiction?

It takes a lot of compassion and care.

As a program director or case manager, you want to find ways to offer not just adequate but exceptional help to patients. That includes helping patients overcome their addiction, preventing further health problems, and keeping everyone on your care team on the same page.

Accomplishing all of that can be difficult—yet not impossible. With a high-quality Patient Management system, you can better serve patients struggling with substance abuse and help them improve their lives.

Drug addiction treatment: the importance of providing whole-patient care

Treating drug addiction is incredibly complex. It is difficult for everyone involved—including the person suffering from addiction, their loved ones, and their support system.

Taking a holistic approach to substance abuse encourages the patient and their care team to focus on the root of the issue rather than the symptoms (the addiction). So what is a holistic approach to addiction recovery? With this approach, you’re looking for physical, mental, and emotional causes of addiction, as well as triggers. In other words, you’re focused on whole-person care.

With so many medical specialties, it can be easy to develop tunnel vision. Holistic care reminds care teams that both the body and mind of a person work together to create a whole unit. It’s impossible for one not to have any effect on the other.

This whole-person care also helps care teams do their best to prevent further health issues, thereby keeping the person as healthy as possible. How does this type of approach work for those in active drug addiction? Instead of simply detoxifying the body and trying to make that process as comfortable as possible, the care team will also help the patient by:

• Providing psychiatric care to help the person discover the underlying cause of the addiction, as well as provide them with tools to resist addictive tendencies in the future.
• Encouraging stress-relieving and mindfulness practices like yoga and meditation, which benefit the body as well as the mind.
• Providing them with dietary recommendations since substances can rob the body of vital nutrients and can lead to negative lifestyle habits, like not eating or not getting enough nutrient-dense foods.

Addiction case management: why it’s vital to keep everyone on the same page

Patient management is imperative for a successful recovery. Optimal patient management ensures that everyone on a care team understands everything required to take care of the patient.

Megan Lawrence, a guest blogger for The Recovery Village, stated that consistency was the key to overcoming her drug addiction. For her, consistency included making a commitment to herself and repeating mantras that reminded her of that commitment.

Consistency can also include who a person chooses to have in their life—and on the other hand, deciding from whom they should be distancing themselves. It can also include daily holistic habits, such as yoga, therapy, Tai Chi, meditation, prayer, or journaling.

While much of the responsibility of consistency is placed on the patient, it’s very helpful for their care team to provide this, as well.

What can you do to keep your team consistent?

• Keep the lines of communication open.
• Provide optimal Care Management.

When a care team communicates regularly, they are more likely to be on the same page. They all know what the person needs, why they need it, and how the team provides it.

Communication should also be open between the patient and their care team. Open communication will not only make everyone’s job easier—it will also keep the person safe.

Additionally, Patient Care Management tools will help keep all patient records in one place and are an excellent way to keep the lines of communication open between teams and between clinicians alike.

Welkin can help your team manage drug addiction more effectively

Welkin Care Management software can help you and your team stay on the same page. The software is easy to use, and the Welkin team can help you get the program up and running quickly and smoothly.

This system makes it easier for care teams to keep track of all pertinent communication and treatment notes for substance abuse patients. You, your team, and providers will be able to store and locate the following information with ease:

• Patient diagnosis
• Prescribed medications
• Treatment and care plans
• Patient notes

With all of the key information in one place, a lack of communication will be less likely to get in the way of optimal patient care.

Additionally, the Welkin program can give care providers helpful reminders and alerts whenever new information has been added to the patient care plan. Access to real-time data and reports will help your team stay efficient and focus more of their efforts on patient care.

With this type of Patient Relationship Management system, you’ll be able to create a more value-based system of treating patients who want to overcome drug addiction.

The goal of Patient Relationship Management: creating meaningful relationships with patients

Whether you’re helping someone deal with drug addiction or overcome it, the best thing you can do for your patients is to develop a meaningful relationship with them.

All people, including those struggling with addiction, crave interpersonal connections. It is easy to detach yourself from the human side of medicine simply because of the stress of the industry, your heavy workload, and the fact that you see dozens of people each day.

However, the personal touch is vital for every person suffering from a substance-abuse disorder. Help your team accomplish this by utilizing a platform that has a goal to help you foster meaningful relationships. Welkin Patient Relationship Management software empowers you and your team to provide high-level, whole-person care—all while developing impactful relationships with your patients.

Do the values of the team at Welkin align with your values? Read about our values, goals, and missions to see if we’re a good fit.