K. C. Kelley1, J. Cipolla1, R. Wilde-Onia1, A. Benton1, J. Stoudt1, R. Castillo1, P. Thomas1, S. P. Stawicki1 1St. Luke’s University Health Network,Surgery,Bethlehem, PA, USA
Introduction:
Patient satisfaction has become a critical outcome measure, highlighted by the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Although patient satisfaction has not been a traditional focus of Trauma centers, it is a key clinical performance indicator, albeit with unique challenges in the Trauma population. A Patient Satisfaction Action Plan (PSAP) was implemented at our Level 1 Trauma Center (L1TC) to target this measure. The aim of this project is to examine our PSAP’s impact on patient satisfaction scores, measured by Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) post-discharge surveys.
Methods:
A retrospective review of our 2015-2018 L1TC HCAHPS data was conducted, prompting our PSAP. The plan, implemented in June 2018, included the following key action items: daily structured patient rounds and multidisciplinary rounds, emphasis on communication with nursing staff, and post-discharge phone calls. A comparison of pre-PSAP data (Jul 2016-Jun 2018) to post-PSAP data (Jul 2018-May 2020) was performed utilizing descriptive statistics and non-parametric testing, with statistical significance set at α<0.05.
Results:
A total of 1,221 patient surveys were reviewed (707 pre-PSAP, 514 post-PSAP). When comparing pre-PSAP and post-PSAP data, we noted a significant increase in overall patient satisfaction (Figure 1). Specifically, the overall patient satisfaction increased by nearly 50% (205/707 pre-PSAP, 217/514 post-PSAP, p<0.01). When examining individual HCAHPS domains, we noted a 66% increase in physician communication score and 27% increase in patient-perceived respectfulness of hospital staff (all, p<0.01).
Conclusion:
In the 2-year period since its implementation, our institution’s Patient Satisfaction Action Plan has proven to have significant success in improving several facets of the patient care experience. We pose that this model has applicability in Trauma Centers with a similar patient/case mix, given motivated staff and clear organization. While our institution identified communication as a main center of focus, we acknowledge that other Trauma Departments may identify alternative areas of improvement that may be more relevant and critical to their particular center’s patient experience. Further research is warranted in this area, with specific focus on factors that will highly correlate with greater patient satisfaction.
