A Simple Approach to Improving Patient Satisfaction

Improved communication with families may significantly increase their satisfaction with the care of their hospitalized child. The families of children admitted to a general pediatric service were randomly assigned to receive a daily visit from a communicator/facilitator whose purpose was to respond to any questions the family might have and, if necessary, to explain results of laboratory tests. Control families received routine care. At the time of discharge (study 1) or following discharge (study 2), the families were asked to complete a brief questionnaire regarding the quality of nursing care and physician care (both attending and resident physician). Responses were received from 76/83 (91.6%) in the study group and 75/83 (90.4%) in the control group. There was a highly significant improvement in parent satisfaction with all of the care delivered—nursing, attending physician, and resident care (p ≤.005 in all categories of care). The simple act of offering a sympathetic and understanding ear, and answering questions, many of which were unrelated to the medical problem at hand, had a salutary effect on overall patient and family satisfaction with both nursing and medical care. In the current era of intense competition to fill available beds and the important emphasis on quality of care, this approach deserves further evaluation by department managers and hospital administrators.