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...
So much of the patient experience rests in the hands of nurses. But so does quality, safety, and a myriad of other metrics. Nurses have a lot on their plates, so it’s no wonder many of them want to run screaming when leaders start “preaching” about the patient experience and improving HCAHPS scores. Although there are countless moments of truth during any healthcare encounter, many of the most important ones happen at the hands of the nursing staff. Read more...
We’re coming up on nurse’s week and it always reminds me to take the time to celebrate this great profession of ours. I don’t know of another profession that carries with it the kind of opportunities to form meaningful human bonds like nursing does. Nurses’ hands are often the first human hands to hold a newborn as he enters the world. Nurses are there for many of life’s greatest milestones, injuries, and illnesses. Nurses are there to sooth and comfort families and individuals facing grim diagnoses and unimaginable loss. We’re also there to celebrate the triumphs of healing – big and small. We’re also frequently the ones who are there, holding the hands of our hospice patients as they take their last breaths. It is our touch that ushers people into life and it is our touch that sooths and comforts people as they leave this life. Read more...
