Price of Patient Satisfaction

Nurse Leigh · Aug 28, 2015

I hear (and have said) that pts and their families seem to think they are at a hotel instead of a hospital. The truth is, though, if a hotel guest behaved the way that gentleman did, he would likely be asked to leave. Very frustrating that we are expected to take so much.

LakeEmerald · Aug 28, 2015

Being yelled out because you are trying to politely and professionally enforce a policy is not OK and your charge should have reinforced your back on this, as well as your director. Sorry you didn't have appropriate back up. It is never OK to be yelled at by a patient or family member and you shouldn't take this either. Tell the patient you will return and resume the discussion when the patient is prepared to proceed in an atmosphere of mutual respect. We, as a profession, cannot allow this to continue.

ERGirl83 · Aug 28, 2015

I'm not sure what kind of facility or department you are in, but I would absolutely not tolerate being treated inappropriately for any reason, least of all patient satisfaction.

I work in a busy ER. People are not at their best. Even the best of people can be rude. And the worst are downright belligerent. When it gets to that point I simply say something along the lines of "I am happy to give you the best care possible, but the way you are speaking to me is unacceptable and will not be tolerated." If it escalates from there, I contact security. My manager has our backs on this one. And so do the docs.

You aren't required to be anyone's punching bag.

knoxnurse236 · Aug 28, 2015

I work in an oncology inpatient unit. It's funny how the sickest of patient's and families hardly ever act in this demenor. My cancer patients are amazing. It's when we have empty beds and over flow for the one night stay post surgery.

This man had a parotidectomy and was angry from the get go. He questioned everything I said and did, especially wearing the jaw bra. Complaining is ok, agression is not. I felt like he was use to calling the shots and wanted me to jump at his every request.

He was mad over a new bed not being there fast enough. Of course his particular bed was not comfortable enough, I was waiting on house cleaning to have it cleaned and he insisted on me bringing it before it was sanitized. Anyway, in your face yelling.

My charge kind of put him in his place and also took over his care since it was two bourse before shift change. She also told me it was in no way my fault he was an a-hole. But he wasn't reprimanded and got his demands. I feel its unreasonable.

My main concern was that I was in my rights calmly saying to him what I did, because it feels as though all that matters is the patients happiness and satisfaction surverys.

THELIVINGWORST, ASN, RN · Aug 28, 2015

I make it a point to acquiesce to my patients requests if they are polite about their neuroses. BUT I am a bit of a hard a** when I feel the pt is manipulating me or they are being rude.

I am so happy that my DON, House Supervisor, and charge all back me up. I have relatively good judgment when it comes to pt complaints.

OCNRN63, RN · Aug 28, 2015

I hear (and have said) that pts and their families seem to think they are at a hotel instead of a hospital. The truth is, though, if a hotel guest behaved the way that gentleman did, he would likely be asked to leave. Very frustrating that we are expected to take so much.

It doesn't help that hospital admin. (often people who have been far removed from the reality of nursing for many years), encourage the hotel mentality. Between being told that hospitals should run like Disney World or Toyota, the bedside nurse just can't win.

mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN · Aug 28, 2015

We just discussed this kind of thing at a retention conference. I am lucky that we have charge nurses and doctors that won't put up with that either We have some frequent flyers that love to "fire" nurses. The doctors tell them aren't allowed to do that and if they are belligerent, we call security.

As a PP said, it is sad that usually pts and family of the very sickest are the nicest and most appreciative. I find that the ones that have had reckless accidents or GSW to be he most rude and most demanding. smh

I am sorry you had that happen to you and I hope that management intervenes and explains that is not how it works.

**LibraSunCNM, BSN, MSN, CNM** · Aug 28, 2015

It doesn't help that hospital admin. (often people who have been far removed from the reality of nursing for many years), encourage the hotel mentality. Between being told that hospitals should run like Disney World or Toyota, the bedside nurse just can't win.

I actually had an assistant nurse manager who read some book called (no joke) "If Disney Ran Your Hospital." She completely drank the Kool-Aid and thereafter referred to it as if it was some sacred manifesto. Ridiculous!

dudette10, MSN, RN · Aug 28, 2015

We have a situation in our hospital in which specialized nurses are the only ones who can complete a particular nursing task. Bed availability sometimes dictates that the pts cannot be immediately put on the floor where these nurses usually work, but we try to get them to the appropriate floor ASAP so that the specialized nurses do not have to leave the floor to perform the task.

Lately, the pts have been dictating when and where they are moved because of their room preference, just like a hotel. One pt was initially placed on another floor, was moved to the appropriate floor, complained about the size and view of his private room, so he was allowed to move back to the inappropriate floor. This should absolutely not be allowed, but the culture of the facility is "pile everything on the bedside nurse" and "the customer is always right."

Karou · Aug 28, 2015

I once jokingly said we should offer a particularly difficult patient an ocean view room. We are in north Texas. He thought he was a celebrity, and would personally call his doctors office for whatever medications he felt he needed (skipping nursing altogether). He was in the biggest/best room on our floor and and still complained like crazy. They moved him to a huge room on a specialty floor where he didn't belong. That press ganey score you know..

Also recently had a patient ask if we had a room on the unit to do laundry. Uh...

It drives me crazy. Luckily the one thing we don't tolerate is abusive patients. It's perfectly okay to remove yourself from the room of a patient who is throwing a fit or yelling and inform them you will come back when they calm down. Every charge nurse will back is up on this, and the house supervisor/security will get involved if necessary. I am sorry you were treated that way and agree that we sacrifice a lot of important patient care when management prioritized patient satisfaction over patient outcomes.

Emergent, RN · Aug 28, 2015

When the governmental entities base funding off satisfaction surveys, the public finds out and it feeds their sense of entitlement. It was a ridiculous idea in the first place.

We already have a society that is getting more obnoxious every year. People who were raised in schools that won't discipline, coddled, either by the welfare system or their indulgent parents, are less likely to be respectful of others. The indolent class watches day time TV with its constant barrage of lawyer and drug ads.

We, as nurses, work our butts off. We are the backbone of a society of whiners and weaklings. Then, throw in all these surveys and you give these people an inflated sense of power. They are queen or king for a day, yelling "off with her head!".

It gets tiring.