Ensuring Patient Satisfaction Through Discharge Follow-Up Phone Calls

Purpose:
The objective of this quality improvement initiative was to enhance the patients' discharge experience.

Relevance/Significance:
Based on the results of Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction survey,an opportunity was identified regarding patients' discharge experiences. The results of the survey for the category were below the national benchmark, so the staff needed to find a solution for developing a patient-centered process for discharge.The transitional care literature reveals that patients and their caregivers often feel anxious and uncertain despite being provided with discharge instructions when cleared to go home.

Strategy and Implementation:
Proposed Change in Practice: A pilot project on discharge follow up phone calls was started to reinforce discharge instructions, provide the opportunity on problems for quick service recovery and encourage feedback from patients and their caregivers. Implementation Strategies: •Post discharge phone calls were conducted within 48-72 hours to capture patient and caregiver concerns in a timely fashion. •A standard set of questions was created by the staff to ensure they were asking for feedback on the discharge process and key discharge components such as medication administration times, wound care, and other self-care issues. •Based on the feedback received from the phone calls, the nursing staff will revise the questions they ask to be more inclusive of the patient's and caregiver's identified needs. •The patient and caregiver feedback will assist the nursing staff in development of discharge strategies that will better meet the patient's needs.

Evaluation:
Our objective was to improve patient satisfaction scores by exceeding the national benchmark in the category of “Staff Explained Discharge Plans”. There was an improvement from the 3rd quarter 2014 to the 4th quarter 2014. For the 3rd quarter, the unit score was 84 while the national benchmark was 88 and in the 4th quarter, the unit score was 94 and the while the national benchmark was 88.

Implications for Practice:
Implications for Practice: Discharge phone calls give patients and caregivers a feeling of continued connection with the nurses. Furthermore, the discussions help to identify important opportunities for improvement in the coordination of care and prevent future problems.