Let Your Patients Know You’re Listening
- Developing cards so patients can ask questions and raise concerns
- Collecting the cards at patient discharge, and make sure there are no unanswered questions
- Addressing the concerns to elevate service
What can your team do to listen to what your patients are telling you they want and need?
It’s important to know what your patients think, and a little communication can go a long way. It can also improve your HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Awareness of Healthcare Providers and Services) scores. A med-surg unit in Irvine, California, scored in the 15th percentile in their communications composite score and used a simple survey device they called “care cards” that allowed patients to write questions and comments. The staff collected these cards and addressed these concerns, raising their score to the 89th percentile in three months.
Taking the time and effort to hear what your patients’ concerns are, and to answer their questions, will help your team improve care and boost your HCAHPS score.
It's important to listen to your patients. A medical team in Irvine used "care cards" to help.
increase in percentile points in communication score (from the 15th to 89th)