The HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of
Healthcare Providers and Systems) is a survey conducted by the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to determine how satisfied the patients
are with the current care facilities in the United States. It is an opportunity
for patients to provide their feedback regarding the communication with doctors
and nurses, the responsiveness of the entire hospital staff, cleanliness of the
hospital, discharge information and pain management.
The three critical takeaways related to this
project are Quick Response, Nix the Unnecessary Noise and Damage-Free
Discharge. Nurses should familiarize themselves with the value of
responsiveness. The recent HCAHPS survey reveals that only 60 percent of
patients are satisfied with the way doctors and nurses treat them, and the rest
of 40 percent complain about delays in response (Dysvik & Furnes, 2012, p.
188). Poor communication can affect patient care to an extent.
Secondly, nurses should know how important it
is to provide a peaceful and calm environment to the patients. For this
purpose, they can collaborate with doctors and other staff members with an aim
to improve their HCAHPS scores. The quietness of hospitals is ranked the lowest
by most of the patients, so nurses should turn off the patient monitoring
alarms in the night to prevent them from developing stress and depression.
When patients are ready to be discharged,
they want the nurse to provide them with tips to maintain their health.
Sometimes their discharged is delayed by the hospital staff, as they claim that
the dues have not been cleared and it will take them some time to go through
the accounts and to allow their exit. Nurses should know how to communicate
with patients in this uncertain situation and take them into confidence that
everything will be alright and that they will be able to leave once the Finance
Department confirms the clearness of their dues.
References
Dysvik, E., & Furnes, B. (2012). Nursing Leadership
in a Chronic Pain Management Group Approach. Journal of Nursing
Management, 20(2), 187-195.
doi:10.1111/j.1365-2834.2011.01377.x
