Skip to contents
In This Issue:
Family, Visitor Section Scores Soar
BWH inpatient satisfaction has hit the 96th percentile—the highest the hospital has achieved ever on its overall score for the Press Ganey Inpatient Satisfaction Survey—for the second straight quarter.
The October through December 2008 scores in the Nursing, Personal Issues and Physicians sections also were exceptional, with Nursing maintaining its all time highest ranking in the 99th percentile when compared to 500-plus bed teaching hospitals that use Press Ganey.
“We are celebrating increases in mean scores for several sections this quarter, with perhaps the most striking increase reflected in the Family and Visitor section,” said Michael Gustafson, MD, MBA, senior vice president of the Center for Clinical Excellence.
In that section, BWH ranks in the 94th percentile, compared to the 89th percentile last quarter. This quarter is the second to capture scores from the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, where each patient room encompasses a special area for family and visitors, including a bed to accommodate overnight stays of family.
“We have a beautiful new building in the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, but it is the entire team—nurses, physicians, therapists, social workers and others—that makes families and patients feel welcome and supported,” said Mairead Hickey, PhD, RN, chief nursing officer and senior vice president of Patient Care Services. “Staff from all units in the hospital deliver patient- and family-centered care every day.”
In the past few years, the hospital has formally launched a Patient and Family Advisory Committee and several pilot projects to advance patient-centered care. At BWH, patient and family care is based on four core concepts: dignity and respect; information sharing; participation in care and decision making; and collaboration in policy, program development and design.
“Patients come to us for care when they are most vulnerable, and we know that they are part of a family support unit,” Hickey said. “With these efforts in place, we are continuing to learn more about how patients and their families need to understand and contribute to patient care and to decisions around care. “
The advisory committee supported the hospital’s new philosophy statement on patient and family centered care to identify core elements for family presence and to begin to shape implementation efforts. Pilot projects are underway in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Cardiovascular Services, and patients and families have advised in Oncology for several years.
Earlier this month, BWH and other Boston hospitals sponsored the Institute for Family-Centered Care four-day seminar with interdisciplinary teams from 65 hospitals and health care systems from across the country. This seminar introduced new ideas and best practices to support patients and families.
“Our goal is for every encounter with every patient to serve as an example of our philosophy of patient and family centered care,” Hickey said.
Inpatient Satisfaction Score Highlights
The following information is the institutional summary based on the results of the Press Ganey Inpatient Satisfaction Survey between October and December 2008, compared to results from July through September of 2008.