Top patient concerns: Comfort and education
Top patient concerns: Comfort and education
Friendliness of nurses is No. 3 on list
What are the most important factors that influence patients to recommend your center to their friends? Comfort, the quality of home care instructions, and friendliness, according to a recent patient satisfaction survey by Press, Ganey Associates of South Bend, IN.
Patients expect a greater level of comfort and a more pleasing atmosphere from an ambulatory surgery provider, says Mary P. Malone, MS, JD, CHE, vice president of corporate development at Press, Ganey.
"When you have ambulatory surgery, it's not the same kind of experience as being admitted to a hospital," Malone says. "There's more emphasis on the physical [environment]."
Malone notes that the physical attributes represent just one of three themes that run through the surveys. Patients also are concerned about their interactions with the staff and the quality of patient education, she says. (See top 10 list of patient concerns, p. 69.)
Focus on those areas when seeking to make improvements, Malone suggests.
"Have you asked your patients how satisfied they are with the physical plant; how they feel about staff interactions, information, and educational needs?" she asks. "Have you asked patients how to improve in those areas?"
The Press, Ganey patient satisfaction information is based on a database of 27,449 surveys conducted at 60 ambulatory surgery centers between July 1 and July 31, 1995. *
The Top 10 List of
Patient Concerns
1. Comfort of room/resting area.
2. Instructions regarding home care.
3. Friendliness of nurses.
4. Cleanliness of center.
5. Nurses' concern for comfort.
6. Staff concern for privacy.
7. Nurses' courtesy toward family.
8. Concern not to discharge too soon.
9. Decor and cheerfulness of center.
10. Information prior to surgery.
Source: Press, Ganey Associates, South Bend, IN.
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