How do you get patients to give you a "very good?"

Specialties Emergency

Published

It seems like no matter how hard we try, our percentage of "very good" responses continue to drop. How do you get the patients to mark very good as opposed to "good" on the survey they get in the mail? :uhoh3:

I am so sick of trying my best to take good care of my patients and then get it thrown back in my face because it wasn't "very good care" according to the returned patient surveys.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Pam :rolleyes:

I once worked at a hospital where staffing and pt care were horrible. However, staff had it drilled into their heads to be super polite and suck up to pts.

These staff always got high "customer satisfaction" ratings. Most pts don't know the difference between excellent nursing care or a lousy nurse who is extra polite. :rolleyes:

:saint: until they die

I just ran across this cartoon that describes the situation to a tee!

http://www.nurstoon.com/comic118.html

:rotfl:

I just ran across this cartoon that describes the situation to a tee!

http://www.nurstoon.com/comic118.html

:rotfl:

very funny

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

That was cute :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Specializes in Obstetrics, M/S, Psych.
I once worked at a hospital where staffing and pt care were horrible. However, staff had it drilled into their heads to be super polite and suck up to pts.

These staff always got high "customer satisfaction" ratings. Most pts don't know the difference between excellent nursing care or a lousy nurse who is extra polite. :rolleyes:

I hear you, but remember, patients don't know what we know, so they aren't really aware what we may not be doing for them medically. What they do know is when someone treats them well. It's just as easy to be nice as not and being kind is every bit as important as giving great care in their minds.

however, I know of at least one nurse on my unit who has been heard telling patients, "are you happy with the care you have gotten...here is how you spell my name..." Sad but true.

Guess who has tons of patient positive comments in her file and who doesn't?

-

I say GOOD FOR HER!!!

I have also heard nurses tell patients to write that the hospitals - need more nurses - the nurses are over-worked - the nurse-patient ratio is too high

I once worked at a hospital where staffing and pt care were horrible. However, staff had it drilled into their heads to be super polite and suck up to pts.

These staff always got high "customer satisfaction" ratings. Most pts don't know the difference between excellent nursing care or a lousy nurse who is extra polite. :rolleyes:

I totally agree...and the cartoon was pretty darn cute (if not just a little too real!). :angryfire

However, I've never been "very good" at suck-up...so I better stick with my skills!!!!

:p :p

Specializes in ER/SICU.

Again, with the damn lidocaine and IV starts get over. I just keep laughing ever time I read something about it(I tried it once starting one in somebody's foot could not find my vein again then blew it stuck the other foot no lidocaine and got it). We give out a pre addressed/pre stamped survey with each discharge I always write, rn my name, the md, and his name. I have received many positive and negative responses. I do not really care one way or the other as I tell my boss if the good = the bad we can call it even. The best thank you can every get is that family member or patient coming back, grabbing you with a big bear hug, and thanking you because they or a son or daughter is still alive. Most ER docs and nurses are hard asses we see the dregs of society all day long every day and maybe I was getting a little sick of the moronic complaints clogging up the waiting room the n/v abd pain screaming for food as soon as you put them in the bed and so on. The other nigh at the end of a long 16 hour day we saved a guy pulled him back from being gone just talking with son while waiting to get him up to a unit made up for all the stupid crap I had dealt with for the last three shifts. The son's gratitude meant more than any excellent check on a form could and he was the kind of person who would have tossed it out anyway.

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

Its sad that some nurses feel that need to do so

Specializes in Emergency room, med/surg, UR/CSR.
The nurses who get the "Very Good" ratings are the ones who care enough to take the initiative to keep their skills current; and who care enough about the patient's comfort to inconvenience themselves, for instance by administering lidocaine before starting their IV's.

To quote a nurse who complains that she only gets "good" ratings: "Why take the time? Maybe it is because like I said, I never used it as a medic, was never taught it as a nurse so have never used it and never will." I just don't see the need."

This "I really don't give a rats *ss." Attitude is very clear to the patient!

One example of why there are several threads dealing with people attitudes on this board. :uhoh3:

I posted asking for suggestions for the surveys that our ER is getting from all the patients that return surveys, not just the ones that I take care of. SHEEEEESH! :uhoh3:

Pam :p

Again, with the damn lidocaine and IV starts get over. I just keep laughing ever time I read something about it(I tried it once starting one in somebody's foot could not find my vein again then blew it stuck the other foot no lidocaine and got it). We give out a pre addressed/pre stamped survey with each discharge I always write, rn my name, the md, and his name. I have received many positive and negative responses. I do not really care one way or the other as I tell my boss if the good = the bad we can call it even. The best thank you can every get is that family member or patient coming back, grabbing you with a big bear hug, and thanking you because they or a son or daughter is still alive. Most ER docs and nurses are hard asses we see the dregs of society all day long every day and maybe I was getting a little sick of the moronic complaints clogging up the waiting room the n/v abd pain screaming for food as soon as you put them in the bed and so on. The other nigh at the end of a long 16 hour day we saved a guy pulled him back from being gone just talking with son while waiting to get him up to a unit made up for all the stupid crap I had dealt with for the last three shifts. The son's gratitude meant more than any excellent check on a form could and he was the kind of person who would have tossed it out anyway.

I mean IV starts are not really that painful it is a big stick that hurts for about a minute, people need to feel that pain to understand the importance of protecting the site and to keep from havning to get a replacement if they pull them out.

Ok, this is what we were told.

We were told to reheorifice.

Look at the questions. It does not say, "did the nurse abuse or hurt you"?

It's like..was the nurse concerned with your privacy...so you say, Let me close the door and provide you with some privacy...did the nurse introduce herself..so you say, Hi, I am ..., I will be the nurse "caring" for you today..(don't say taking care..on our survey it says did the nurse care about ....)and you must be or are ...

Just read the survey, reheorifice the answers, and then, when you reheorifice it enough, you will be able to "cue your patients to answer it correctly..

Now, we do have patients that no one can ever satisfy..

But, you have still provided privacy, introduced yourself by name, etc. and they really can't deny that..then, overall care will probably not be so good, but..

Anyway, this is actually a trick, but when trials have been performed on live people, it actually worked...

Now, to get people to remember your name and mention you, you have to be extremely nice, nonjudgemental, and go way out of your way...check on them frequently, look in on them and say goodbye, etc. (and candy and gum work well as bribes as well) You have to take the time to get to know what they really would like..and give it to them if possible..sometimes all they want is a smiling face..but not very often..

Good luck

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