I know how much everyone hates the "customer satisfaction" people, but how else are we supposed to know what patients really think about the care they get while in the hospital?
How else are we supposed to get a glimpse of their hospitalization through THEIR eyes?
I've heard some really wacky things from the former patients about their stay, but all of them have something in common--they feel as though they were treated like an object, not a person.
So it comes back to us all twisted and looks like this is our fault and we bear the blame when it could very well be a system problem in the first place.
We all hear about how hospitals are designed to rob a patient of their personhood. So why is it so terrible that hospital management should finally get a clue that these are people who pay through the nose for our services, and they would like to be a little less scared, to have less pain and more creature comforts to help them through a frightening, expensive, exhausting, painful illness.
My problem with the surveys (Press Ganey) is we get dinged for things we have no control over. Such as, not having a private room with a water view available. Yes, people/patients/family members get irate and complain that their Nurse didn't give them the private room with a beautiful view, instead they got a semi-private with a view of an inner city basketball court. Sorry, I don't think my raise should be based on how many private rooms we have. I agree with the posters that said they didn't mind the surverys if admin used the information to improve things. Unfortunately, I don't think they'll give up the $$$ those few extra semi-private beds bring in. And I don't think it's fair to move an Alzheimer's pt who's not "appreciating the view" so a younger, alert and oriented pt can have that particular room.
Here's my problem with these surveys: when was the last time a patient responded with a compliment about the care received, as in "as my nurse X walked past my room, glanced at the monitor, and noted that I was now in 2nd degree block. He/she called the MD and set in motion a course of treatment which probably prevented me from experiencing a possibly critical or fatal cardiac event. I didn't notice anything - I thought I was just feeling a bit more tired."
OR
"If I hadn't had my labs drawn at 5am and results completed before the MD rounded beginning at 6:45, there might have been a delay in my receiving anticoagulant therapy."
These are things you will never see on a patient survey, but these are the things that can produce a happy ending at discharge.
I'm all about warm blankets, personal attention & creature comforts ... AFTER appropriate assessment & care.
And ditto what was mentioned above: things that nurses have no control over - room issues, dietary issues, lack of appropriate communication from the MD - come back as dings against nursing. I just can't figure that one out. And the complaints about labs being drawn, transporting for various tests, etc. ... I've been hospitalized before becoming a nurse, but I understood even then that the procedures and temporary discomfort were for a purpose.
Believe it or not i have seen some very positive comments come back from our patient surveys. But there have been negative ones also. Most of ours are posted in a binder on the unit for people to review when they can. Sometimes it can be a bit amusing to read some of them too. And i agree the negative seem to be the ones that management focuses on and makes sure they point out to everyone. There are some patients you couldnt satisfy for anything.
They use the survey's for positive also, as any staff named on a survey with positive responses gets a free meal, or something. Which is kind of nice. So there are positive ways to use these survey's to build staff pride and still try to satisfy patients.
Earlier this year I was in hospital for a little over a week. While I am certain it was necessary to be there, I (being a Nurse rather than a layman) felt that I was being neglected.
My insurance company paid 16 thousand dollars for those 8 days. I saw a nurse at 9 am and perhaps at supper time that came to about $1000 an assement.
Hubby was just in the hospital on 4 different occassions(this has NOT been a good year!). We recieved "one" survey in the mail for one admission. As it turns out that "one" admission was less than stellar, but the other three were stellar. Unless you survey every patient during admission, the process is flawed. It is well documented that the "bad" experience people will write, while the good experiences don't.
A quick inpatient survey(even if done floor specific) by a patient advocate would give immediate identification of the problem and immediate resolution. Trying to get discharged patients to answer a survey is going to skew the results due to lack of responses.
Here's my problem with these surveys: when was the last time a patient responded with a compliment about the care received, as in "as my nurse X walked past my room, glanced at the monitor, and noted that I was now in 2nd degree block. He/she called the MD and set in motion a course of treatment which probably prevented me from experiencing a possibly critical or fatal cardiac event. I didn't notice anything - I thought I was just feeling a bit more tired."
OR
"If I hadn't had my labs drawn at 5am and results completed before the MD rounded beginning at 6:45, there might have been a delay in my receiving anticoagulant therapy."
These are things you will never see on a patient survey, but these are the things that can produce a happy ending at discharge.
I'm all about warm blankets, personal attention & creature comforts ... AFTER appropriate assessment & care.
And ditto what was mentioned above: things that nurses have no control over - room issues, dietary issues, lack of appropriate communication from the MD - come back as dings against nursing. I just can't figure that one out. And the complaints about labs being drawn, transporting for various tests, etc. ... I've been hospitalized before becoming a nurse, but I understood even then that the procedures and temporary discomfort were for a purpose.
Just my two cents ... nothing more.
Excellent post!
Although I gave top marks on the 2 surveys, and wrote Thank You notes to the ICU, ED, the EGD/Colonoscopy doctor, and the squad (the squad also got a $50 donation since it is a volunteer squad, and the transport was free), it has taken me years of research to understand just how good my care was. I did not understand the seriousness of my illness, due both to denial (trauma squad in ED and the ICU room were normal patient treatment in my mind) and the limited information I was given.
I also agree with you about the minor complaints being mentioned on the surveys. For instance, it never occurred to me to complain that it took 4 hours to get the Allegra D I requested for my sinus headache. The hospital was completely full; it's not like I was the only patient.
Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN
12,126 Posts
Maybe if it were more of a patient centered survey and not customer, i'd be a little more gung ho on it.