How does a hospital measure success? Is it defined by the health and recovery rates of their patients? Is it defined by a patient's satisfaction with the care and/or service they receive? What about HCAHPS scores, readmission rates and overall profits? The answers to all of these questions lead back to one concept: patient experience. But what exactly does this concept entail, and is it possible to create a model that sufficiently makes for a perfect patient experience?

The obvious answer is no, there is no way to please every patient, and finding a model that will result in 100% satisfaction for 100% of patients is nearly impossible. However, hospitals can significantly increase their HCAHPS scores and better serve their patients by adopting a patient-centered culture and implementing a model that focuses on three major variables:

People. Process. Place.

These three categories allow hospitals to focus their efforts on addressing the major questions within HCAHPS surveys through a patient-centered approach that increases comfort and care. It is designed with HCAHPS in mind, but it doesn't become tied up in simply increasing their scores. Instead, it creates a service model that focuses on patient comfort, happiness and health, all of which will inevitably lead to higher scores.

Here is where the People, Process, Place model recommends that hospitals and care teams focus their efforts.

People

It stands to reason that the patient is the center of everything, and understanding what they want from a hospital is the key to increasing their overall satisfaction. Everything, even process and place, comes back to the patient.

All patients want the same outcome: to get better, but this is not something that care teams have 100% control over. There are still three things that hospitals can control when it comes to their patients:

1. Communication

2. Anxiety

3. Comfort

These three aspects are separate, but inherently linked because of how they affect one another. When care teams effectively communicate with patients, they make them more comfortable and reduce how anxious they are about their stay. Effective communication also establishes trust between patients and care providers. There are tools that help care teams communicate effectively. Using patient whiteboards to lay out patient goals and keep them informed is a good way to make patients more comfortable and less anxious. The more patients are kept in the loop about their care, decreasing uncertainties, the more likely they are to report greater satisfaction when it comes to HCAHPS surveys.

Process

Process reengineering is the second part of the equation. It deals with how care teams can create a process that allows them to better care for and serve patients. Everything from nighttime noise restrictions. Noise complaints are one of the top patient complaints to frequency of patient check-ins are a part of a good treatment process. When the process is broken or inefficient, patients recognize this as a sign of poor service.

This entirely comes down to efficiency. When care teams are overburdened, they spend less time with patients. Hospital can look at everything from the design of their facility to how far nurses have to travel to get to supply closets, patient rooms, etc. in order to become more efficient. When the treatment process is clearly defined, efficient and well executed, patients will become more satisfied with their care.

Place

The concept of "Place" deals entirely with a hospital's environment. Over the years, there have been numerous studies (more than 600!) that have delved into the idea of evidence-based design and how it impacts patient satisfaction. The physical environment encompasses everything from a hospital's layout to its design, colors, furniture, lighting and even cleanliness.

Here are some of the results that these studies have found:

• Single patient rooms not only make patients easier to communicate with, they also increase satisfaction.

• Use of sound absorbing materials helps cut down on patient noise complaints.

• Rooms with views of nature help relax patients and reduce anxiety and how often they need pain medication. The same effects are found when natural lighting is present.

• Including family spaces, seating, etc. in patient rooms increases satisfaction for both patients and their families/friends.

There are countless studies that reveal that intuitive design choices affect patient satisfaction. Even the placement of a sink in patient's room has an effect on how they perceive response times. When patients are in pain and call for a nurse, that nurse needs to wash his or her hands when entering the room. If the sink is placed out of sight from the patient, they perceive a longer response time than if they see the nurses enter the room, make eye contact and then proceed their hands.

A Potent Combination

When taken in tandem, the concepts of People, Process, Place are a potent combination that can help hospitals better serve their patients and increase HCAHPS scores. To learn more about how whiteboards can play a role in this process, contact VividBoard today.