Patient satisfaction or patient dissatisfaction

[Brian, ASN, RN]

Press-Gainey and other satisfaction surveys drives the consumer choices for healthcare to some extent. Our patients are more savvy than they once were and many now have choices in the hospital that they use as well as choice among providers. What is your hospital, clinic or organization doing to improve your scores? What do you think of these efforts?

[chiandre]

My hospital has a service recovery program. If a patient complains, somebody from leadership will come to personally apologize and bring a gift such as gift cards, baby layette, etc.

Personally, I hate the program. I feel that it is bribery!

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

chiandre said:

My hospital has a service recovery program. If a patient complains, somebody from leadership will come to personally apologize and bring a gift such as gift cards, baby layette, etc.

Personally, I hate the program. I feel that it is bribery!

That IS pretty tacky---it's like "could you please bend over a little more so I can kiss your tookus?"

I sooo do not miss this part of working in healthcare.

[Wheels28]

chiandre said:

My hospital has a service recovery program. If a patient complains, somebody from leadership will come to personally apologize and bring a gift such as gift cards, baby layette, etc.

Personally, I hate the program. I feel that it is bribery!

Just a patient--A hospital could not bribe me with gifts, they could however, bribe me with knowledgeable, friendly nurses'. If a hospital offered me a gift card as a "band aid" for my complaint or troubles I would feel insulted and never return, because that doesn't address the issue, it only puts a "band aid" on it. I would be more satisfied with an apology and the issue addressed, but then again I wouldn't complain about something minor or bogus in the first place!

[Vquaid54]

I was a recent pt @ my own facility and have several questions. PICC should have been inserted w/in 48 h of admission as receiving IV vanco 1 gm q 12 as well as 4 boluses of K w/ lidocaine and IV K 40 meq in bag for hypokalemia 2.7. I asked the hospitalist but he insisted on waiting until ID saw me. PICC finally placed day of d/c 5 days later!!! How do you advocate for quicker implementation of PICC? Additionally bed broke during PICC placement resulting in a traumatic insertion. I had venospasm in my arm for 48 h. I just happen to have been a PICC nurse in past and am presently certified in case management. This is a magnet level hospital. What else can I do to make my complaints heard. Called quality, my insurer, spoke w/ the head hospitalist. All to no avail. Please share your thougths.

[No Stars In My Eyes]

Recently picked up a PD case; the patient was SO incensed by the survey she was given by the hospital, to fill out. She said the questions seemed to have nothing to do with her hospital stay. She returned it with the written comment that it was the stupidest and most annoying piece of paper among ALL the forms she'd had to fill out, bar none.

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

When I had my daughter 3+ years ago (not the hospital where I work) I got a Press-Ganey. When I got to the question about the patient's perception of whether the doctor/nurse knew what s/he was doing, I responded thus: "There is no way a patient without the training and skill set of a doctor or a nurse will ever be able to answer this question adequately. It is an inappropriate question and you should take it out of this survey. I refuse to answer."

[1sttime]

As nurses we keep in mind who the patient is- I give skilled nursing care, not customer service.

There is a trend in retail to make everyone a guest, and as a guest you should follow the rules of the house... In healthcare its making patients and their families "customers", as a customer the expectation is that you are always right.

These trends are disturbing... metrics drive crazy behavior that does not equal good care

[firstinfamily, RN]

"The customer is always right" was the rule in retail. "Treat the pt as a guest" seems to be the rule in healthcare. I don't think hotel acomodations are available in health care, and I don't think sick people really want someone who treats them like a pansy either!! How many positions have been justified by this hotel mentality?? When there is a problem if I cannot fix it I refer it on to "guest services." Or I make recommendtions to management so the problem will not reoccur. We are all pawns in the game of healthcare!!

[AdamantiteEnigma]

1sttime said:

As nurses we keep in mind who the patient is- I give skilled nursing care, not customer service.

There is a trend in retail to make everyone a guest, and as a guest you should follow the rules of the house... In healthcare its making patients and their families "customers", as a customer the expectation is that you are always right.

These trends are disturbing... metrics drive crazy behavior that does not equal good care

This bears repeating imo. I see myself as a guardian and a healer. Not a towelboy.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

I understand the drive for customer service, but in medicine you cannot use the same type of system that works for other types of businesses. Often things must be done or not given in the name of good care that the patient or family perceives as negative.

We all know this, but how to get non care providers to get it through their thick heads?

[Emergent, RN]

No Stars In My Eyes said:

Recently picked up a PD case; the patient was SO incensed by the survey she was given by the hospital, to fill out. She said the questions seemed to have nothing to do with her hospital stay. She returned it with the written comment that it was the stupidest and most annoying piece of paper among ALL the forms she'd had to fill out, bar none.

That sounds like something I would do! LOL!