What is it with patient experience?

[AdminAdmin]

I am sure you have all learned about it by now, but what is patient experience? Let us discuss your feelings on patient experience and how it impacts patient care. To divulge even more into this topic, think back to a time when either you or a loved one was a hospital patient. Were they treated fairly? If not, what could have been done to make the experience a more pleasurable one? If they had a great experience, or you did, what made it so great? Nothing is too big or too small!

What are some ways that you, individually, can raise the patient satisfaction and give us “5 Stars”.

We can have a discussion in anticipation of our speaker next week, have a great week!

[jroggio]

When I think of patient experience, more than a trip to the hospital comes to mind. I think patient experience is a term engulfing every part of the interdisciplinary team. I sort of think of it like a stay at a hotel. Each aspect of the vacationers stay accumulates points and then the vacationer adds up the points to give the hotel a rating. I think that applies to hospitals as well. Although patients are admitted because they need medical attention, they are also human beings who have to stay in the hospital longer than a nurses 7-730 shift. They come in contact with hundreds of people daily, from the nurse to the surgeon to the cleaning staff, and I think that every person of the team showing that patient respect and dignity helps build the overall patient experience. Recently, my cousin was in Sloan Kettering for a month and a half, where me moved from the ICU to a step down unit. While he was there for those six weeks, each and every person that he encountered was so nice and kind to him. He had a trach, so it was hard to understand him at times, but each doctor and nurse took the time to sit and converse with him regardless of the difficulty in communication. Because of his excellent patient experience, I truly think he helped him heal quicker. To raise the patient satisfaction score, I think it is important to of course put the patient first, but to also treat the family as well.They can be equally as nervous or confused about things, and taking the time to explain procedures or how certain medical devices works can make all of the difference. I also think it is important to do hourly rounding on your patients to make them feel prioritized, regardless of the nurse's busy day. Simple things such as smiling or shutting off the lights for a patient can help raise the patient satisfaction score!

[LaurenMendez2]

Patient experience can be defined as the interactions a patient has within the health care system. Their interactions could range from nurses to doctors or dietitians to house keepers. Patient experience in most hospitals is number one priority. Many individuals would be surprised by how little an incident can change their experience. Fortunately for me, I have not had a bad experience within the health care setting or known someone that has. There are many things one can do to help create a better environment for our patients. For starters, smile. A smile can go a long way with someone and may even make their day by seeing a friendly face. An important one that our hospital enforces are the 5 P's that we use during rounding: Pain, position, potty, possessions and plan of care. These approaches will improve patient satisfaction and experience.

[92gustavson]

Patient experience is an individuals personal perception and overall rating of the interactions they had during their course of care. Clinical and non-clinical hospital employees impact patient experience. For example, in orientation we watched a video about a man who had an excellent hospital experience. The person who the patient had attributed his positive experience to was the housekeeper because they would always leave him the newspaper. Small acts of kindness can go a long way. Recently, my grandmother was hospitalized after she had broken her hip. The doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists etc. were all so compassionate and empathetic. They always went the extra mile to show my grandmother kindness and respect. At all times, they made sure her needs were fulfilled and were constantly asking if they could do anything else for her. Taking the time to sit down and get to know a patient and their family, flashing a smile, and letting your patient know that you have time for them are just a few ways that you can positively impact a patients experience.

[cgreese1]

Patient experience includes all aspects that patients have with the health care system; this includes the interactions between the patient and healthcare workers, the facility they go, such as a private practice or hospital, patient experience also can include things such as how easy it was to get a prescription filled. When it comes to patient experience, the little things really do count, because it all adds to the patient’s experience. So, I personally have never had a hospital stay, but my sister has. After one of her surgeries, when she was in recovery all she wanted was a grilled cheese. Every time the nurse came to check on her, my sister would ask for a grilled cheese. As soon as my sister could eat a regular diet, they got her a grilled cheese. This made her extremely happy. To this day, she says it was the best grilled cheeses she has ever eaten.

I think there is so much that we can do as nurse externs to enhance patient experience and make it great for all our patients because we have the time to go out of our way, sit and talk to the patient and get them anything that they may want or need.

[smiluso]

Patient experience is one of the most valuable ways a hospital gains its favorability. If a patient does not have a good experience, then they will tell their family and friends how bad it was and the word spreads like wildfire. I remember a time when I was a patient in a hospital a few years back when I had my gallbladder removed. The nurse before my surgery had an attitude and blamed me for eating when I was not supposed to. You need to be on an empty stomach and someone from dietary brought me a clear fluid tray. At the time, I thought I was allowed to have it. Instead of taking responsibility for the mistake, she said it was my fault and that my surgery was going to have to be postponed. Meanwhile I was in excruciating pain and could not wait any longer. I was so upset at how she was speaking to me. After my surgery, the night nurse was extremely helpful and caring. I recall being extremely nauseous from the anesthesia. She was there comforting me and showing me how to ambulate properly to the bathroom since I was very sore. There was a big difference from the nurse before to the nurse after and I felt in the beginning that was treated unfairly. The nurse before could have easily changed her tone and apologized for the mistake instead of pointing the finger.
Some ways I could raise the patient satisfaction is addressing the patients needs right away. Remembering what they asked for and simply saying "is there anything I can do for you to make you feel more comfortable." I think the hourly rounding is such a great way to raise patient satisfaction as well. It shows that you did not forget about them and that you are making them a priority.

[Sponsored content]