Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

15 PATIENT EXPERIENCE High Levels of Patient Satisfaction Linked With Lower Chance of 30-Day Readmission By Brian Zimmerman P atients who report higher levels of care satisfaction and good communication with their physicians were less likely to experience a readmission within 30 days post-discharge, according to a study published in BMJ Quality & Safety. For the study, researchers administered ques- tionnaires to 846 patients admitted at one of two inpatient adult medicine units at Massa- chusetts General Hospital in Boston from 2012 through 2015. Patients responded to the ques- tionnaires either on the day of their discharge or the day prior. e questionnaire assessed patient perceptions of their own health, their satisfaction with the care they received and their understanding of future care plans, among other areas of assessment. Among participants, 201 experienced an unplanned readmission within 30 days post-discharge. Analysis revealed patients who reported being "very satisfied" with the care they received were 39 percent less likely to experience a readmission than patients who reported being less satisfied. Additionally, participants who reported their physicians always listened to them carefully were 32 percent less likely to have an unplanned 30-day readmission than participants who did not report good provider communication. "ese findings suggest that engaging patients in an assessment of communication quality, unmet needs, concerns and overall experience during their hospital stay may help identify issues that have not been captured in standard, post-discharge surveys that are conducted when an opportune time for quality improve- ment interventions has passed," said Jocelyn Carter, MD, lead study author and physician at the MGH Department of Medicine. "Now additional research is needed to examine how these data can help prospectively identify those at increased risk for readmission." n 85% of Patients, Providers Say Healthcare Costs Are Disproportionate to Quality By Mackenzie Bean B oth patients and healthcare providers believe issues exist within the U.S. healthcare system and cite concerns over care quality, according to a survey con- ducted by West and Kelton Global. For the survey, researchers polled 1,010 consumers in March and 138 healthcare professionals in April on their perceptions of healthcare quali- ty and the U.S. healthcare system. Here are nine survey findings. 1. Ninety-six percent of patients be- lieved there are problems with the U.S. healthcare system. 2. Forty-eight percent of provid- ers "somewhat agreed" the U.S. healthcare system does not make patients feel they are receiving the best possible care. Nineteen percent of providers "strongly agreed" with this assertion. 3. When asked to describe their feelings about U.S. healthcare, 43 percent of patients felt "frustrated," 38 percent felt "disappointed" and 29 percent felt "stressed." 4. A majority (85 percent) of both patients and providers believed healthcare costs are disproportion- ately high compared to care quality. 5. Forty-two percent of healthcare professionals and 37 percent of patients said quality is one of the biggest issues in healthcare today. 6. Sixty-seven percent of patients said they consider quality when select- ing a healthcare provider, and 65 percent considered the same when choosing a healthcare facility. 7. Most providers (96 percent) ex- pressed frustration about patients not taking enough responsibility for their own healthcare. 8. Sixty-three percent of patients said their provider pays more attention to treating illnesses than to pre- venting them. 9. Eighty percent of patients said their health did not improve last year. n 3 Ways Intensive Care Units Can Better Educate Patients By Megan Knowles I ntensive care units can work to improve patient and family caregiver education through a centralized digital platform, accord- ing to a study published in Critical Care Nurse. The researchers gathered education materials from each of their four institutions to develop an education- al framework, which was designed to reflect how patients and family members interact with the ICU. The researchers then developed a digital guide to help patients and their care- givers navigate the ICU, noting any shifting needs or priorities during their hospital admission. Here are three educational guidelines for patients and family caregivers in the ICU, based on the study's results. 1. Include navigation guides, intro- duce patients and caregivers to the ICU care team and provide an over- view of a typical day in the ICU. 2. Review the patient room, equip- ment used for treatment, patient safety measures and potential com- plications. 3. Provide information on how patients may have to transition into both re- habilitation and hospice care settings and include information on what to do if a patient's health fails to improve. n

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