Improving Patient Satisfaction with Nursing Communication in an Acute Care Setting

Abstract

<p>Organizational Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and System (HCAHPS) survey results provided evidence to indicate the need for improvement in nursing communication with patients in the telemetry unit. The nursing handoff practiced at the organization was a traditional nurse to nurse handoff and did not involve patients and families in the discussion of their plan of care. Bedside handoff is one of the evidence-based strategies that can be used to improve nursing communication by involving patient and families in discussion of their plan of care. Bedside handoff was implemented using Havelock’s change theory and focused on implementation in an acute care 34-bed telemetry unit to improve patient satisfaction towards nursing communication. The purpose of this project was to determine if the bedside handoff process would improve patient satisfaction towards nursing communication as evidenced by an increase in HCAHPS scores. Two months after implementing bedside handoff, patient satisfaction with nursing satisfaction was increased which was evidenced by increased HCAHPS score on each elements of nursing communication. HACHPS score on Nurses treating patients with courtesy and respect increased from 90.9 to 100, Nursing communication from 80 to 95.8, nurses listened carefully from 39 to 87.5 and clear communication by nurses from 75 to 100.</p>