Patient Satisfaction Scores Foster Improvements Nurses Receive High Marks
In the July, August and September Press, Ganey® inpatient satisfaction survey, BWH achieved a mean score of 90 when patients were asked if they would recommend the hospital to friends and family. That puts BWH in the top 6 percent of 500 plus-bed teaching hospitals that use Press, Ganey® surveys.
Nurses, in particular, made gains from the previous quarter in nine categories, including friendliness and courtesy; prompt response to calls; attitude toward requests; attention to personal/special needs; keeping patients informed; skill; amount of time for patients to bond with their babies; courtesy of nursing assistants; and checking patient identification.
In addition, nurses from multiple units across the hospital, including Cardiac Surgery, Cardiology, General Medicine, Gynecology, Med Spec, Oncology and Thoracic, scored better than 99 percent of like-size teaching hospitals that use Press, Ganey®.
Overall, BWH made modest gains in inpatient satisfaction scores or remained consistent in several overall categories from July through September, as more than 2,300 inpatients responded to the satisfaction survey. Patients asked for an overall assessment gave BWH high marks in cheerfulness and teamwork in care delivery.
“BWH consistently scores well in many facets of the survey, and, just as importantly, we know areas in which we have to improve based on patient responses,” said Michael Gustafson, MD, MBA, vice president, Clinical Excellence.
BWH’s reliance on inpatient surveys for the last five years positions the hospital well ahead of many academic medical centers as more care-related data and measures become available to the public in coming months. The federal Medicare program, for example, plans to survey patients and make the results public in late 2006 or early 2007.
“BWH is committed to a culture of transparency. Collecting data helps us improve patient care,” Gustafson said. “The more data and patient feedback we have, the more we can advance our quality, safety and service.”
In the July to September survey, patients gave BWH high marks for skill in administering tests and treatments and top scores for nurses and physicians, giving BWH a percentile rank of 92 or better in five skill-related categories.
Identified areas for improvement include several room-related issues like televisions, call buttons, décor, housekeeping courtesy and noise level in and around patient rooms. Also, results indicate a need for enhancements in patient discharge process.