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Company News: TouchPoints

Patient Experience Study Shows Optimism about Progress

In the largest study to date on patient experience, 86% of hospital executives said they were optimistic about the progress being made toward improving the patient experience.

The study, which included the views of 790 hospital leaders, was commissioned by The Beryl Institute and carried out by Catalyst Healthcare Research.  Results were released during The Beryl Institute's 2011 Patient Experience Conference in Dallas on April 13th.  The Beryl Institute is a membership organization dedicated to improving the experience patients and caregivers have in hospitals and other healthcare settings.

"Results from the study, whose respondents came from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, provide an important baseline for understanding what is actually taking place in American hospitals around the issue of patient experience," said Dan Prince, president of Catalyst Healthcare Research.

Highlights from the study include:

• Hospital leaders say that Patient Experience is one of their top three priorities, up there with quality, safety, and financial performance.
• Around one half of all hospitals or systems have designated an individual to be the lead for improving patient experience; while four in ten (42%) placed that accountability with a multi-disciplinary team or committee.

• The key driver of success is strong, visible support from the top of the organization, followed by clinical managers who visibly support patient experience improvement.

• Certain activities, such as new staff training programs and service recovery programs, appear to be underway at most hospitals in the U.S.
• In terms of improving patient satisfaction, hospitals are focusing on a number of tactical improvements including reducing noise, improving staff responsiveness to patient calls and requests, and strengthening the discharge process.

The 33-question survey was conducted online between March 7 and March 23, 2011 using a national list of hospital executives.  A total of 790 hospital leaders participated, representing 660 different hospitals.  The margin of error for overall results is +/- 3.6% at a 95% confidence level.