West Valley Medical Center - January 02, 2017
Jennifer Wagenaar

Jennifer Wagenaar
CNO

Nurse Leader Rounding

As an organization, we continue to work on our patient satisfaction metrics. Our overall rating (those are patients that rate us 9-10 on a scale of 10) is steady at around 70-75%, with a majority of the remaining patients scoring us an 8. One of the most impactful, evidence-based practices to continue to improve our scores is Nurse Leader Rounding (NLR). The goal of NLR is that all of our patients will be visited by a nurse leader — director, manager, charge nurse, or myself — each day. This gives us an opportunity to focus on the top things patients are telling us, harvest positive recognition for staff, and address any concerns our customers have in real time.

Physician Satisfaction Scores

Our HCAHPS data also provides us with scores regarding our patients’ perceptions about physicians. Three questions are rolled up to give us an overall satisfaction score for physicians: 1) How often do physicians listen carefully? 2) How often did physicians explain things in a way I can understand? and 3) How often did the physician treat me with courtesy and respect? Patients are asked to answer with “Always,” “Usually,” “Sometimes,” or “Never.”The past 12 months of results for patients who gave “Always” answers are:

Here are some simple ways you can help to continue to positively impact our patient satisfaction:

  • Communicate at the patient’s level by sitting on a chair or stool.
  • Use body language that demonstrates careful listening, such as nodding and eye contact.
  • Confirm that you understand what a patient is saying by using verbal cues as they speak, such as “I see” or “Okay,” and by summarizing what the patient has said once he or she has finished.
  • Avoid interrupting. Out of concern, care providers often jump in with a solution before a patient has finished expressing him or herself. When a patient is interrupted regularly, or when the solutions offered do not meet a patient’s needs, anxiety may increase. Give each patient time to finish talking before responding. Acknowledge what the patient said, empathize with his or her feelings, and respond accordingly.
  • Stating your observations about the way a patient may be feeling (e.g., “That must have made you very anxious.”).
  • Minimize distractions and coordinate care. Time constraints and pressures are often unavoidable, but avoid reading charts or answering phone calls when engaged in conversation with a patient in order to listen effectively and to demonstrate engaging body language.

By establishing rapport, a patient will be more likely to open up with questions and concerns during the visit. Therefore, physicians will have a greater opportunity to listen to the concerns and questions at the heart of the patient’s medical issues.

Satisfaction scores are available in a variety of formats, by department, by attending provider, with any variety of variable and date breakdowns. Please contact me if you ever have any ideas for improving patient experience or would like to look at data in any particular format.

Other Articles