How's Norma?
A sweet grandmother called St. Joseph's Hospital and timidly asked, "Is it possible to speak to someone who can tell me how a patient is doing?"
The operator said, "I'll be glad to help, dear. What's the name and room number of the patient?"
The grandmother said in her weak, tremulous voice, “Norma Findlay, Room 302."
The operator replied, "Let me put you on hold while I check with the nurse's station for that room."
After a few minutes, the operator returned to the phone and said, "I have good news. Her nurse just told me that Norma is doing well. Her blood pressure is fine, her blood work just came back normal, and her physician, Dr. Cohen, has scheduled her to be discharged tomorrow."
The grandmother said, "Thank you. That's wonderful. I was so worried. God bless you for the good news."
The operator replied, "You're more than welcome. Is Norma your daughter?"
The grandmother said, "No, I'm Norma Findlay in Room 302. No one tells me anything."
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Many of us can identify with Norma to some degree. Perhaps we’ve felt out of the loop and uninformed at some point in our own healthcare experiences. Perhaps it was a situation where we didn't feel like our doctor explained a condition in more detail, or when a nurse came to run tests we didn’t fully understand, or when the physician’s office location changed without telling us.
As healthcare providers, it’s easy to get caught up in the behind-the-scenes work and our many daily tasks. We may not realize how our interactions or inactions might affect the patient experience.
I did spot one good thing in this story though. It sounds like the hospital was doing a good job making information available to family members, giving the organization the benefit of the doubt when it comes to HIPAA violation.
With patient satisfaction so important, stepping back and assessing how well all levels in your organization are doing with respect to communicating to patients is critical. As a healthcare organization committed to delivering the best patient experience, what steps are you taking to ensure that your patients are kept in the loop and do not feel like Norma?
Comments
In healthcare, the belief is that the physician is the only one responsible for telling the patient about their health. I do tell patients how they are doing and the plan for the next 24-48 hours. However, the speed with which that information is conveyed (average patient visit in hospitals must be 5 minutes), the illness and complication the patient is suffering, whether i just awoke them, etc, all influence their understanding. Sometimes a patient tells me I did not tell them what was happening and I clearly recall the conversation.
What we need is a new culture where everyone knows the patient's condition and plans and conveys this information to the patient multiple times during the day. The logistics however, are very difficult. I am not convinced that EMR will provide this solution. EMR notes are very stereotyped, long, complex and very brief in terms of plans as they require physicians to type. Perhaps this will improve with time.
The solution seems to be a team where nurses and doctors communicate the condition and plans in person, as we are a people service business. Unfortunately, currently time is a premium, volume a necessity to survival, and customer service unrewarded and undefined as yet. Raj Davda, MD