I was recently doing a full-day patient experience workshop with staff nurses from several organizations and was stunned to learn that very few had ever seen the HCAHPS survey questions. Once exposed to the eight dimensions of the survey, they unanimously agreed that nurses could impact scores in all eight dimensions and were eager to explore solutions in greater depth.
What surprises me most is that when reimbursement is on the line, I would expect healthcare leaders to do more to engage nurses in making improvements. Improving patient satisfaction takes more than just telling staff to be nice. They have to first understand the patient perspective and then become involved in finding what works. Read more...
Essential Qualities for Improving Patient ExperienceThis past week, I had the pleasure of being the keynote speaker at a nursing conference. It is always so energizing to be among nurses who take pride in their profession. Surrounded by hundreds of nurses, I was struck by the sheer magnitude of their influence on human life. It’s the nurses’ hands that are often the first to hold and soothe a newborn, and it is also their hands that comfort the ill, injured, and dying. When nurses are inspired and engaged, wonderful things happen that shape not only clinical outcomes but the reputation of the organization. Their influence is felt far beyond the individual encounters extending to patient families and the community. Read more...
None of us wants to believe that we are the roadblocks to innovation and change, yet there are so many times when I hear leaders shoot down opportunities for growth and innovation with one simple sentence. Take your pick of these most common squelchers, including: Read more...
- It won’t work!
- We tried that once back in…
- They won’t approve. (The we/they thing is always a clue to filter.)
- That will never fly here!
- You don’t understand. We’re different. (Healthcare suffers from terminal uniqueness, including one doctor’s patients being sicker than all others, one hospital having unique issues with running 24/7, and—my personal favorite—only angry patients fill out satisfaction surveys.)
This is the third entry as I follow along with a patient undergoing a 6-week cancer treatment.
Managing expectations is crucial to creating a positive patient experience. Patients are often feeling scared and vulnerable and need to know what to expect in order to prepare physically and psychologically for what will be taking place. In this case, Elizabeth is a veteran of the medical system and typically asks questions to understand what to expect. In the following scenario, there were at least two missed opportunities for effectively managing the patient experience.
Elizabeth: Read more...
This is my second blog chronicling one patient’s experience during her 6-week journey with a health care organization. In my last blog post, I talked about words that wound, words that work, and words that WOW. Even the most well-intentioned caregivers can say things that leave a patient feeling uneasy if not frightened. Elizabeth’s next encounter reinforces just how important it is for health care workers at all levels of the organization to filter their statements through the ears of their patients.
Elizabeth: Read more...
During focus groups, I often ask patients what makes them feel confident in a healthcare organization or provider. It’s no surprise to me that their responses have little to do with credentials and a lot to do with behaviors and statements made by staff and providers.
Patients usually tell me that they want to feel respected, valued, informed, and included in decisions about their care. The things that instill confidence in provider competence usually come down to how well they communicate with the patient both verbally and non-verbally. Read more...
In the last few days, I’ve had two great experiences with my own healthcare that I just had to pass along. One was with my own medical care, the other with my mother. Mine was routine, but my mother’s was emergent. The common denominators were that in both situations the caregivers demonstrated behaviors that helped to increase trust and confidence. As I reflected on both of the situations, I started with the end. I walked away from both feeling confident, reassured, and informed. Healthcare is the business of trust. Everything that patients experience should build trust in the providers and the organization. Here is how I would dissect the experiences into trust-building behaviors: Read more...
I recently brought my 83-year-old mother in for oral surgery. No one looks forward to oral surgery, and my mom was no exception. It’s one of those necessary evils that you just have to make it through. The day of her surgery was my second visit to the oral surgeon’s office, and I left both encounters feeling impressed, confident, and grateful for the compassionate, respectful care. Read more...
