Press Gainey AARRGGHH

Okay,

The final straw.

My patient got absolutely upset and overwrought over there not being any cup holders in the bathroom.

All shift, I heard about "What kind of place doesn't have a place to your cup at the sink".

We will get marked down for no cup holders.

For Pity's sake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(please G-d give me strength to survive)

Now there's a place I want to sit and relax with a cup of coffee. Maybe there's no cup holder in the bathroom because it is dis-gus-ting to drink out of a cup that's been in there....but, then again, I realize that's not the point.

Okay,

The final straw.

My patient got absolutely upset and overwrought over there not being any cup holders in the bathroom.

All shift, I heard about "What kind of place doesn't have a place to your cup at the sink".

We will get marked down for no cup holders.

For Pity's sake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(please G-d give me strength to survive)

Hmmm, maybe next time they would like to book their stay at the Hilton?

Okay,

The final straw.

My patient got absolutely upset and overwrought over there not being any cup holders in the bathroom.

All shift, I heard about "What kind of place doesn't have a place to your cup at the sink".

We will get marked down for no cup holders.

I don't know about where you work, but infection control at my hospital would have a big problem with cup holders in the bathroom. We aren't even allowed to have a cup of coffee or a bottle of water at the nurses station.

Ironically I got a Press Ganey survey in the mail today relating to my ER visit a couple of weeks ago.

Management just wants to say they addressed the issue by initiating a new policy that way they wipe their hands of the problem and place it onto the nursing staff.

This sounds ridiculous IMO...sounds like those restaurants that are required to ask if you want desert and they wear little buttons saying "If I don't offer you desert then desert is on the house".

So they are supplying you with buttons right?

Plain ridiculous

Maybe buttons & business cards will be handed out for Nurses' Week this year!

Ironically I got a Press Ganey survey in the mail today relating to my ER visit a couple of weeks ago.

And were there attractive, well maintained cup holders in the bathroom??????

LOL Caroladybelle, I don't think so..... It wasn't exactly on my list of priorities. I was more concerned about the HA, vertigo and especially getting my BP down before I stroked or had an MI or something. It was 209/138 when I got there. Actually there's a lot I don't even remember.

As I read these posts about patient surveys I am left to conclude that the average patient is:

a. a griper and whiner just waiting to get a nurse in trouble about something

b. never satisfied with anything we do

c. intent on asking the impossible and expecting to receive it

On the other hand, the average nurse:

a. only ever does their job flawlessley

b. is always unfairly assessed by patients

Having worked as a nurse in direct patient care across three states for 27 years I can say that I have discovered for myself that:

a. there are difficult patients and there are incompetent nurses

b. there are unreasonable families and there are unreasonable administrators

c. there are moments that make me want to continue in nursing despite all of that

I went to an ENA leadership conference in Boston this past weekend and the originator of scripting spoke to the group. He correctly surmised that "ER nurses don't have a suck up bone in their body." He explained that a core issue was getting staff the equipment and resources they need to do the job. If you don't have a working BP cuff for your patient, or you've been downstaffed to a skeleton, admin has other issues to work on besides scripting. He said they need to listen to the bedside staff, and get them what they need FIRST, and scripting came LATER, when you do have time and resources.

He gave out copies of his book. Although the speech was downright inspirational I disliked his take in the book. He focuses solely on patient satisfaction without giving a nod to quality of care, or clinical standards that have to be met before comfort issues are taken care of. The second item- docs are to be treated as customers of the hospital. He suggests index cards listing each doc's preference, and talking up the doc to patients, how compassionate and skilled they are, to make the patient feel better about coming to them.

No mention of what to say when the patient directly asks you if they are any good, and you think the doc is screwing up on ten different levels.

Here's the website for anyone who wants to ask him a question.

http://www.studergroup.com/

My favorite "scripting" that we are required to say is: "Is there anything else I can do for you, I have the time."

Now, when this is said as I run (literally) from room to room, folks know this isn't sincere.

Then when you say stuff like that it makes the whole situation worse, becasue the family knows you don't mean it. I think the powers that script it should test run it first.

the facility i work at now actually has secret shoppers and secret callers and people have been fired for things because of it. needless to say, i am not going to be working here much longer

Watch out ladies and gentlemen, next thing you know, the ER will have "secret shoppers!"

omg that's awful.. secret shoppers