profession

Hospitals found lacking in patient satisfaction efforts

A study involving four countries shows a gap in how clinicians and hospital management view the patient experience.

By — Posted March 27, 2013

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

Health care professionals say hospital managers are not doing enough to improve patient satisfaction at hospitals.

A survey of 1,004 physicians and nurses in four countries found that 90.4% said improving satisfaction of patients during hospitalization was achievable. But only 9.2% said their department had a structured plan to boost patient satisfaction, said the study in the March issue of BMJ Quality and Safety (link).

“It seems that, despite the fact that hospital management espouses the importance of patient-centered care and invests in patient surveys, the majority of hospitals do not appear to have a structured plan to promote improvement of patient satisfaction nor engagement of clinicians in the process,” the study’s authors concluded.

The survey involved 468 physicians and 536 nurses at four academic hospitals — one each in the United States, Denmark, Israel and the United Kingdom. Researchers found that 85.5% believed that hospital management should take a more active role in conducting patient satisfaction improvement programs. Overall, 83.6% said achieving high levels of patient satisfaction was important for the clinical success of health care organizations.

But just 38% recalled specific actions undertaken by their departments to improve satisfaction. Only 34% said they received feedback during the past year on patient satisfaction from hospital management.

“What is the value of the [patient satisfaction] survey if there is no feedback mechanism that is filtering down to the nurses and physicians?” asked lead study author Ronen Rozenblum, PhD, MPH. He is director of the Unit for Innovative Healthcare Practice & Technology at the Center for Patient Safety Research and Practice at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Rozenblum noted that the Institute of Medicine’s 2001 report Crossing the Quality Chasm called for boosting patient-centered care. He said the study’s findings raise concerns about whether hospital management is engaging health care professionals to improve satisfaction among patients.

Satisfaction pays at hospitals

Medicare is taking notice of what patients think. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in October 2012 began withholding 1% in pay to hospitals and providing incentives to hospitals with the highest-performance-measure scores, which include patient-satisfaction metrics.

The study by Rozenblum and his colleagues said there seems to be more emphasis among health care organizations on measuring patient satisfaction rather than on improving the patient experience. The researchers said policymakers should consider strategies to reward organizations that improve the experience for patients.

The study said hospital management could incorporate patient-centered care as a priority and implement structured plans that engage doctors and nurses in upgrading the patient experience.

“Hospitals have to really increase awareness of the patient experience,” Rozenblum said. “We have to look at quality of care from the patient perspective.”

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn