enues, but if the patient knows that the nurse is listening and that he or she will act on their concern and then follow up with the patient – this is the first step to increasing patient satisfaction.
-Think like a patient. Reflect about how it would feel to be complaining about something and nothing was being done because a nurse chooses not to communicate.
-Be responsive. Don’t tell the patient something is going to be done to help them in specific timeframe and not meet that timeframe.
-Practice communication skills. If a patient is complaining, don’t think the patient is just a complainer: use your critical-thinking skills to assess their complaint. It is important to keep in constant contact with the person making the complaint and letting them know that their issue is being investigated.
-Show compassion. Refer to a patient by real names, not by the names that they are often given during their hospital stay (e.g. “the complainer,” “the person who stays on the call light,” “the person who falls”). Remember that they are not only a patient, but also a member of a family who should receive the best quality of care while maintaining their dignity.
Reviewing HCAHPS Scores
When your hospital’s HCAHPS scores are released, be sure to review the data and compare it to other hospitals in the area as well as to national averages. Share ideas for changes that might improve the patient experience and discuss them with the nursing supervisor.
Education and acquired skills put nurses in a better position to able to persuade, influence and advance nursing interests. If HCAHPS is the opportunity nurses have waited for to demonstrate that what they do does make a difference in health care, then now is a great time for nurses to become empowered with knowledge through an online RN to BSN or RN to MSN degree.
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About American Sentinel University
American Sentinel University delivers the competitive advantages of accredited online degree programs in nursing, informatics, MBA Health Care, DNP Executive Leadership and DNP Educational Leadership. Its affordable, flexible bachelor’s and master’s nursing degree programs are accredited by the Commission for the Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The university is accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). The Accrediting Commission of DETC is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency and is a recognized member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2011).
Maximizing the Impact of Nursing Care Quality. Hendrich, A., & Chow, M. (2008).
Hospital Care Quality Information from the Consumer Perspective. (2012).