Price of Patient Satisfaction

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I had something happen today that really bothered me. l lost my voice. I lost it in the name of patient satisfaction.

I listened to a male patient yell at me for something completely out of my control and then demand a new nurse because he didn't like my attitude.

My attitude consisted of explaining to him a certain policy and why it couldn't be broken. I then asked him why he was so mad and not to raise his voice at me. I said it in the most even, professional tone possible.

The bottom line and what bothers me most is he can treat me however he chooses. He can yell at me and if I say one word I am replaced. I am disposable. Who sticks up for me?

In what world is it ok for a grown man to speak to a woman or anyone for that matter in such a way? I feel like I have no voice or rights as a nurse sometimes.

Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

I've often said to my manager that the chronic complainers will not give us an excellent on the survey, so why are we bothering with them? They will not be happy no matter what we do! The people who will give us "excellent" are the ones who have an occasional legitimate complaint who seem satisfied when we listen to them and address their complaint immediately.

I want to make my patients well and feel well-taken care of. Sometimes it's a warm blanket, sometimes it's a hot cup of tea, sometimes it's looking at pics of their grandkids on the phone, it's always getting them to the bathroom before they have an accident, it's always making them feel safe, it's always having a neat and tidy room. Those things I don't mind, and I believe they are a part of nursing care.

But, in addition to many other complaints on my shift, a guy was angry that dietary put a leaf of lettuce on his sandwich, and when I offered to remove the offending vegetable out of his sight, replied with, "No, I want a new tray brought up immediately!" Lets just give up on an excellent from him, shall we? Instead, the manager overheard the complaint, came in the room, and spent the next half hour appeasing him and giving him a very nice "service recovery" item.

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Like coddling a spoiled child.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Somewhere in the PACNW

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

It is not okay to expect verbal or physical hostility in your workplace. It is perfectly acceptable to explain your policy and to discuss it no further. If your manager is acting terrified of The Survey to the point that you are being mistreated, get HR involved. They will likely take a hostile work environment very seriously, even if your manager is being a meat-head.

If the pt fires you, consider it BS that you no longer have to deal with. You are not expendable -- you are free of the problem that was this jerk.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
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.

Well I'm glad your charge nurse backed you up. Like LakeEmerald said though, we as a profession need to stop allowing this mentality to prevail. People treat us how we allow them to treat us.

I've never been a fan of giving pts the imperial treatment, but a recent experience really has me saying "defecate on that expectation!"

We recently took the kids to a world-famous vacation locale. We probably spent close to $1000 on food. Well I'd ordered our meals at a fast-food type service place, paid, and went to where we were to wait. Right away, our tap sodas were poured into cups filled to the top with ice (would I like some Coke w/ my ice??) It was very very hot in there, and these drinks we're sitting there for five minutes while they got our food. I didn't realize they were ours until they put them on the trays.

I really hate flat and watered-down soda. From a tap, I have to have it fresh. Five minutes in a hot kitchen makes it not good, and I paid $4 per drink.

So anyway, I asked the server to please pour me a new drink with just a little ice, since it had been sitting out. The guy got all in a huff, and poured it but spilled down the sides, and then slammed it onto the tray without wiping the sides. Whatever, I can wipe sides of cups, but I was so irritated about the huffing and cup slamming.

And then I thought about some of the customer-service rants here on AN. How is it that nursing professionals are scared to stick up for themselves, managers asking staff to kiss jerk families' butts, and being pressured to script like automatons... but this guy, who is paid to do actual customer service, got his undies in a bunch because I asked -- nicely -- for a new drink?? Clearly he wasn't bending over backwards to provide service with a smile. :sarcastic:

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Nursing is dying as a profession in many places and working on the floor has become a nightmare. I take great pleasure in the fact that it has been proven that the places with highest emphasis on patient satisfaction scores also have the highest death and complications rates. Hospital are literally killing patients with "kindness". Google the topic, literally article after article saying how it's bad, wrong and focusing on the wrong things.

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

The other night I was let into by a family and the pt because I wouldn't let him drink and eat 2 hours before his surgery. I explained the safety behind it etc etc but nothing. Finally he said "You are just a nurse following the orders of the doctor, find me someone who can change those orders" I gladly got the surgeon, he iterated what I said, after the surgeon left I asked if he got the answer he wanted. He told me to "**** off" and i got a complaint from the family. Love this job sometimes.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

I worked in the service industry for years before I became a nurse. Even as a lowly call center rep, I was not expected to tolerate abuse by customers. My boss has no problem firing problem customers. Unfortunately, money talks. Yes, patients should be treated well, but basing hospital funding on patient satisfaction is insane.

The patient satisfaction thing is even worse in private duty. If a patient fires the nurse, the nurse loses income. One thing I like about corrections is the fact that nurses don't have to worry about customer satisfaction.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

The "customer service" pendulum has swung too far . . . WAY too far. Basing funding on customer service scores was nuts and indicates that those removed from the bedside has no freakin' clue. Glad I'm on my way out.

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This is hearsay...but I heard it from the person involved, so I call it probably pretty accurate hearsay.

We had a patient - not confused, perfectly oriented, and completely capable of controlling his actions - break a CNA's arm. Deliberately, because he was annoyed and he got his hands on her and he could. Our nurse manager not only did nothing at the time, but when this patient was readmitted, she did not support the nursing staff who wanted to bar him from our floor. He was allowed *back*. The CNA in question transferred jobs a short time after. Which is a serious shame, because she was one of the best we had.

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Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.
He was in the biggest/best room on our floor and and still complained like crazy

I recently had a patients mother (pediatrics) complain that the room was TOO large!

Some people can never be happy!

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The "customer service" pendulum has swung too far . . . WAY too far. Basing funding on customer service scores was nuts and indicates that those removed from the bedside has no freakin' clue. Glad I'm on my way out.

Can I like this 1000%? And I agree with everything everyone has said. Can't wait to finish my Masters and be a NP so that I don't have to deal with being a bedside nurse ever again.

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Specializes in PACU, pre/postoperative, ortho.
The other night I was let into by a family and the pt because I wouldn't let him drink and eat 2 hours before his surgery. I explained the safety behind it etc etc but nothing. Finally he said "You are just a nurse following the orders of the doctor, find me someone who can change those orders" I gladly got the surgeon, he iterated what I said, after the surgeon left I asked if he got the answer he wanted. He told me to "**** off" and i got a complaint from the family. Love this job sometimes.

A couple weeks ago, a 7 yr old pt ate some donuts the morning of surgery. His mother was irate that his surgery time was pushed back a number of hrs. She asked the anesthesiologist "What's the worst that could happen?" His response was "Um, death."

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