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In This Issue:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Every BWH patient floor is different. The nurses are different. The physicians are different. And of course, the patient needs are different. But the one thing all patient floors in the Connor’s Center for Women’s Health have in common is the prominent display of the most recent Press Ganey patient satisfaction survey results.
“By posting Press Ganey results, our staff are reminded that patient satisfaction is our top priority,” said Paula Gillette, RN, director, Women’s and Newborn Services. “It is also very motivating to observe the changes in scores from month to month.”
The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has introduced several new practices to the Connor’s Center over the past several months in response to patient comments gathered from the Press Ganey survey. One such improvement is the new “healthy breakfast” option. Working with Food Services and Nutrition, the Connor’s Center now offers an earlier morning cold breakfast, consisting of yogurt, bagels, fruit and muffins.
“With concern about the delay in the discharge process,” explains Gillette, “we looked at our current meal delivery process and realized that because it takes more time to prepare and serve hot breakfast, meals were arriving later and interfering with the patients’ discharge preparation. Therefore, this new, earlier cold breakfast option should help us speed up the discharge process overall.”
Another new improvement is the creation of the bedside guide. This laminated flipchart is present in every patient room and includes all types of information—from visiting hours and educational opportunities offered on the floor to all aspects of the discharge procedure.
The third improvement is related to lactation education and support. In order to ensure that all information on breastfeeding techniques provided by nurses is accurate and consistent, an in-depth breast feeding competency has been developed and will be required of all Connor’s Center nurses. Additionally, BWH’s Certified Lactation Consultants (CLCs) are now unit-based, providing consistent coverage to staff and patients.
The final improvement involves enhanced staffing to support a better nurse to patient ratio. Nurses are able to spend more time with their patients focusing on education, emotional support and assessment. “Research suggests that early bonding between the mother and baby fosters earlier established sleeping patterns for the child and promotes successful breastfeeding,” said Gillette. “By assigning less patients to each nurse, we also hope to facilitate the mother/baby care model, providing additional support for our new mothers.”
The BWH OB Care Improvement Team was honored with a 2002 Partners in Excellence Award for these customer service and patient care enhancements.