Skip to contents
In This Issue:
For the past year, BWH has seen steady improvement, record scores and all-time highs on BWH Inpatient Satisfaction Survey quarterly reports. This upward trend, which began in April 2008, has pushed BWH into the 98th percentile on overall survey score compared to the 90 teaching hospitals with 500 beds or more that use Press Ganey.
On the most recent quarterly report covering 2,486 responses from patients discharged between April and June, BWH earned its highest-ever scores on all 10 sections of the survey—from admission to discharge and everything in between. BWH nurses continued to rank in the 99th percentile at the top of the list of like-size hospitals that use this survey.
Physicians earned their highest marks since BWH began using Press Ganey in 2001. For the most recent quarter, inpatients gave Brigham physicians a survey mean score of 90, a half point higher than the previous high score the quarter before. That puts BWH physicians into the 98th percentile compared to 500-plus bed teaching hospitals.
During the last year, survey scores have increased significantly in the visitors and family section. Between 2002 and 2008, inpatients gave BWH a score of approximately 85 when asked about accommodation and inclusion of their visitors and families. The overall score for visitors and families shot up to 87.2 last spring, and on the most recent survey, the score in that category rose to 88.1, which puts BWH in the 98th percentile for this section.
“This is a clear indication that our hospital-wide commitment to caring for our patients and their families is making a positive difference in their lives,” said Mairead Hickey, PhD, RN, chief nursing officer and senior vice president for Patient Care Services. With the hospital’s Patient and Family Advisory Committee in place, an increase in the number of single-occupancy patient rooms and staff commitment to caring for patients and families with dignity and respect, patient- and family-centered care has become a hallmark of BWH.
In addition to high marks for nurses and physicians, BWH patients are reporting improvements in service areas, too—a recognition that dozens of improvement projects in Food Services, Environmental Services and Patient Transport have made positive contributions to patient experiences at BWH.
“Staff from across the hospital have worked hard on process improvement projects for several years, and we’re seeing results in patient satisfaction across the board,” said Michael Gustafson, MD, MBA, senior vice president for Clinical Excellence.
With room service and cook-to-order service in place, the scores for meals have been on an upward trend in recent years, too. Prior to 2006, patients gave meals served at BWH an overall score of 75, and last spring scores for meals pushed past 80. The high scores for BWH meals place the hospital in the 76th percentile compared to other 500-plus bed teaching facilities, a huge leap from the 47th percentile just a few years ago.
In recent years, Environmental Services and Patient Transport Services in conjunction with unit staff worked to improve discharges and room environments throughout the hospital. Patients routinely have given BWH rooms scores in the high 70s since BWH began using Press Ganey inpatient satisfaction surveys, but in the last year, room scores have reached a high of 82.
Inpatient Satisfaction Score Highlights
The following information is the institutional summary based on the results of the Press Ganey Inpatient Satisfaction Survey between April and June 2009, compared to results from January through March.
Patient Satisfaction Over the Years:
June 2001: First Press Ganey Scores Are In June 2002: One Year of Results Show Upward Trend December 2003: Scores Rise Over First Three Years May 2004: Satisfaction on the Rise June 2005: Improvement Efforts Continue September 2006: Maintaining High Rankings and 4FOOD Delivers June 2006: Room Improvements March 2006: Families Valued and All-time Highs for MDs, Obstetrics August 2007: All-time Highs December 2008: BWH Tops 86, Reaches 96th Percentile June 2008: Meals Get Highest Scores Ever in Press Ganey