Pleasing the "customer"

Published

Our small hospital has gone overboard and has thrown any sense of control right out the window to please patients........no limit on # of people in LDR, no limit to visiting hours. Unlimited snacks and non-nutritious soda, I could go on and on. I feel this has decreased the respect for our facility and makes nurses look like fools, jumping through hoops. We have been reported for the dumbest things through Press Ganey..........i.e. " The nurse tried to start an IV in a dry vein ". Management never tries to hear the nurses' version. Morale is in the toilet. I feel like a waitress. I used to love patient teaching but now need to avoid subjects like smoking cessation lest I " offend " someone. I now hand them the mandatory smoking cessation packet and tell them I am legally required to do it. So frustrating.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
We have been reported for the dumbest things through Press Ganey..........i.e. " The nurse tried to start an IV in a dry vein ".

The hospital can't really control what patients write on Press Ganey surveys. Did someone actually get disciplined for this?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

No, she didn't get disciplined but management remained upset that the patient was not happy. Once while admitting an adolescent who responded that she smoked in answer to an question on the Hollister Forms we use, I said matter of factly that now would be a good time to quit as infants exposed to second=hand smoke are more prone to respiratory problems.........end of topic, on to the rest of the admission. Well, her mother was a smoker also and was highly offended at my "inappropriate" remarks. The girl was in triage and not in labor.....in fact we sent her home. A comment was later inserted in my annual evaluation pertaining to that situation. I have been a nurse for over 30 years and have seen the respect for nurses all but disappear. Years ago, I used to overhear patients tell family members " the nurse told me....yadda yadda" like our words were gold.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych.

It gets so out of control sometimes. Soon the unit will be like a brothel and patients will sit in a little drawing room while all the nurses available for that shift line up for inspection. The patient will look us up and down -- and perhaps poke and prod a bit -- and say "I'll take her."

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care.

https://allnurses.com/forums/f18/press-gainey-aarrgghh-162093.html

~faith,

Timothy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care.
It gets so out of control sometimes. Soon the unit will be like a brothel and patients will sit in a little drawing room while all the nurses available for that shift line up for inspection. The patient will look us up and down -- and perhaps poke and prod a bit -- and say "I'll take her."

I'm getting this image of C3P0 to Uncle Owen:

"I'm fluent in 7 million forms of starting IVs . . ."

~faith,

Timothy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I agree with you totally --- I had a young patient last year that reported my comment to the nurse manager on her rounds the day after I talked with her. She was feeding her baby every 1-2 hours around the clock and baby was drinking way too much formula. I explained to the mother that many times baby cry for other reasons besides hunger and before a baby is given more formula within 1-2 hours after the last feeding, other comfort measures should be attempted, along with checking diaper, burping, etc. I told her that babies can be fed too much and this could later lead to obesity. She was offended -- my manager basically told me that I should not have told her that . I feel that I am a very good teacher and spend time with my patients informing them. It seems like most patients don't want that much information. They want us to wait on them and comfort them ---- I also had someone mad after I did my talk about second hand smoke around babies. It mad me want to stop teaching when management doesn't support the nurses. Customer satisfaction is all we hear about these days.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Its not just in the hospital, its everywhere. I had a patient refuse to be admitted this past weekend to home health, unless she could request a certain nurse. I didn't admit this person because there was no need for home health. My agency takes pretty much everyone that other agencies refuse. Guess I'll have some explaining when I am asked why I didn't admit this person. Eventually, I suppose I'll have to learn to stop caring what others think maybe.:lol2:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.
I also had someone mad after I did my talk about second hand smoke around babies. It mad me want to stop teaching when management doesn't support the nurses. Customer satisfaction is all we hear about these days.

Suggest to mgt that the infant is also your customer ;).

Kudos to all the OB nurses who struggle with a combination of dorky mgt and pts who may have no business being mothers yet, but unfortunately do not require a license to do so ;).

Up Vote Up Vote ×

What seems to be missing from a whole lot of the 'customer satisfaction' craze these days is the idea of any standard of behavior on the part of the 'customers'. I am all in favor of doing what can be done to make people more comfortable, keep them informed, etc. But people should be expected to act politely, not scream at the nurses, throw tantrums, etc. When I was a child, my parents would have skinned me for the things some 'adults' do now!

It is especially sad when management gives no backing to staff after these incidents. I have been told by doctors (and nurses) 'watch what you eat, exercise", and various other things. I may not be thrilled to hear it, but good grief, the medical folks are just doing their job. Nurses would be remiss if they DIDN'T try to educate their pts.

The idea that hospital administrators are upset over this because someone's feelings may be hurt is beyond ridiculous.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

This year i have had 13 online inservices related to pt. satisfaction and customer service.

Have had 2 inservices related to pt. safety (one for "time out" before a procedure, the other for the gel pads we use to pad bony prominences for positioning).

Potential Inservice Material:

We got new laproscopic equipment that we were training on in a word-of-mouth fashion.

We got a new HTA (hydrothermal ablation) machine that we learn how to use RIGHT when the pt.'s in the room and the sales rep is telling us what we need to do.

New ortho implants that we got a 5 minute blurb about that was mainly centered around how to charge for them.

We're getting 2 MORE customer frickin service inservices next month. Hey, we may not know how to use a maching that is putting water in a pt.'s uterus that's 92 degrees Celsius, but by God, we now know where to get the "fashion" gowns and robes, and the cable channels on the TV!!!!!

Ok, if anyone's still reading, the fact that management isn't backing up the nursing staff screams volumes on where their priorities lie. With all this pt. satisfaction centering, the pt. is REALLY getting the short end of the stick when it comes to their healthcare.

(And Hades will freeze over before i ever refer to a pt. as a customer or consumer.)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.
Its not just in the hospital, its everywhere. I had a patient refuse to be admitted this past weekend to home health, unless she could request a certain nurse. I didn't admit this person because there was no need for home health. My agency takes pretty much everyone that other agencies refuse. Guess I'll have some explaining when I am asked why I didn't admit this person. Eventually, I suppose I'll have to learn to stop caring what others think maybe.:lol2:

You GO, girl!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion