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The Magnet Pull…
What Are Our Patients Saying About You or Your Unit?
Every individual patient’s experience here is based upon his or perception of that experience. Do you ever wonder what they are saying about their care? Do you think they felt “cared for” while they were here?
I have told nurses over the years that every single patient should be treated like you would want your own mother, father, sister or child to be treated. Are you confident that is the case? Patients and families talk a lot about their care. What they say about us is a key to our ability to attract new patients and to retain existing ones. Did you know that word-of mouth is more important than expensive advertising?
In a recent survey report, “Top 10 Ways to Impress Patients”, Dr. Beverly Smallwood talked about the results of talking with patients to determine what they remembered about their hospital experience. Her group wanted to know what was significant enough that they would remember – up to six months after receiving hospital services.
Here are the Top 5 things that patients remembered:
- Staff Attitudes – Examples of positive attitudes were “nice, friendly, courteous”. Negative descriptors were words like “rude, angry, mean or not a good bedside manner.”
- Timely service –Patients often described how long they were kept waiting for a request. For example, “I got my medicines right on time” or “I was so sick and all they cared about was getting papers signed. They made me wait on treatment”
- Meeting medical needs – For example, “They kept my wound clean and dressed” or, conversely, “My arm got infected where the drip was.”
- Meeting psychological needs – People were most impressed with actions that personalized the contact or added the “human touch” to the experience. “She touched my hand” or “She comforted me when I was upset.”
- Communication – Patients described how well they were kept informed. “They spent time teaching me about my shots for my diabetes” Poor communication also created negative lasting impact, “I had to tell the story over and over to every nurse or new doctor that came in the room.”
The research shows that, not only do people remember their
experiences, they tell others. Many, many others!
And, just like the childhood game Gossip, as the story is retold, it gets juicier and juicier. What are they saying about you? Those small “magnetic” moments with you make a difference for patients and families. Make the story one that you would like to hear repeated over and over again.
- Janet Harris, RN, MSN
System Chief Nurse Executive
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