Useless Hospital Committees

[Ayvah]

So maybe its just me, but it seems that every hospital has committees focused on 'improving patient care'/customer service, who spend time creating their vision statements and lead hospital retreats about how we have to put the patient first, and create newsletters and tests that we have to take.... I began to think of the resources these take, the cost to create all these puppies and butterflies material, salary time to present it and have staff listen, and the cost/benefit to the patient of taking yet another "just a minute of the nurse's time" away from the nurse.

These committees seem like (mostly) a waste of time and resources, spouting common sense statements and directing focus away from where it is more needed for improvement in care. Telling us that the patient is #1, and that the family is important, and how to answer your phone, and say please and thank you is more basic than nursing 101.

Why can't they have a committee (or just one person who travels around to the sites to take suggestions anonymously and liaisons with other departments to fix problems) focused on what are obstacles for nurses in delivering care? Fixing the broken or nonexistent equipment issues, or discussing better utilization of ancillary staff or even volunteers? When was the last time you were solicited for information on what the roadblocks to your work were? Wouldn't that impact patients more than a new picture on the wall or 'waterfall music', or adding an option for tea and coffee, or a new scripted phrase? Focusing on making a waiting room more 'warm and inviting' seems like a far, far lower priority than fixing the computer issue/double charting issue which keeps a patient staying in the waiting room in the first place.

So I'm wondering, why have yet another customer service committee that makes minimal real change? Is there some sort of JCAHO requirement for this stuff? Or is this just to show on paper to make it look like they care? (reminds me of how when you see the ads/billboards during nurses week thanking the nurses and saying what wonderful staff a hospital has, that's not done to be nice, that's a marketing strategy)

Why not reappropriate the funding for these committees to more useful endeavors, of which there are many?

[SkaterGurl]

I consider myself pretty lucky to work in a hospital that has effective committees. They are truly the movers and shakers and get things done. I will say to the op, the "patient satisfaction" committee has a purpose. Satisfaction scores drive reimbursement and it trickles down to employee satisfaction (i.e. bonuses) at least where I work. This is a non-profit hospital and yes we do receive bonuses if patient satisfaction is up.

Our committees and members are agents of change and have made positive steps regarding patient and employee safety, customer satisfaction, reduction of infections and hospital stays, etc.

If a committee is not working for you--are you working for it?

[Barley]

Seems like pt care and safety would improve if the resources put into committees were instead put into an extra nurse each shift. Most of the RNs I know and work with would love to be able to be able to improve patient care and safety, but are just stretched too thin and so are forced to deprioritize some items to the bottom of the to do list.

[Pjking227]

I just learned today that when our computer (from our assessments) show a patient is a falls risk we are to put on the bed alarm. We do if that person is confused and weak and at a real risk of falling. But our system puts a walking, talking, competent person with taking 4 meds a day as a falls risk, just the number, not the type of drug counts. If we do this we will be running into their rooms more to turn off the alarms than doing real patient care. And if e order set calls for SCDs we are to use them, which we do for total care pts, not ambulatory people! This is something that used to be our nursing judgment now we have to get them dc'd and have the patients refuse the SCDs when they are able and willing to get up and walk. Committees may have good intentions, but they are never the people that do the direct care - at least in my facilit. Totally useless unless you have bedside nurses and the administration is willing to listen.

[LynnLRN]

Too many people don't have common sense and that is why they need those committees. People can sound VERY rude on the phone and that is why people spend tons of time scripting things. Those little things make a big impact on patient satisfaction.

[amoLucia]

IMHO - facility committees freq fall into the same bucket as 'mandatory' inservices and those 'mandatory' staff meetings.

I'm reminded of the proverb - "the road to hell is lined with good intentions, but heaven is full of good works".

As my mom used to say' "they meant well".

If only I had a nickel...

[morte, LPN, LVN]

for the most part....as useful as teats on a bull....as we country folk are wont to say....

[redhead_NURSE98!, ADN, BSN]

I just learned today that when our computer (from our assessments) show a patient is a falls risk we are to put on the bed alarm. We do if that person is confused and weak and at a real risk of falling. But our system puts a walking, talking, competent person with taking 4 meds a day as a falls risk, just the number, not the type of drug counts. If we do this we will be running into their rooms more to turn off the alarms than doing real patient care. And if e order set calls for SCDs we are to use them, which we do for total care pts, not ambulatory people! This is something that used to be our nursing judgment now we have to get them dc'd and have the patients refuse the SCDs when they are able and willing to get up and walk. Committees may have good intentions, but they are never the people that do the direct care - at least in my facilit. Totally useless unless you have bedside nurses and the administration is willing to listen.

Yyyyyyyyyep. CPOE has brought about doctors who lazily add an order set and every single thing in that order set, like daily weights, TEDS and SCD's for every patient, etc. Ridiculous.

[Morainey, BSN, RN]

Oh my gosh. I couldn't agree more. I lost all faith in our committee process when they asked us for our anonymous suggestions, and then promptly ignored all of them.