I was recently speaking to a nurse about the increased and heightened awareness surrounding patient care over the past five years. Under her breath she mumbled, “Yeah, many of these patients want us to treat them like guests at the Ritz…”In most inpatient environments, some patients are expecting the impossible. There is an old saying straight out of Management 101: Clear Expectations + Feedback = Results. The same is true with patient care. Whenever you bring a patient into your facility, have someone take the time to walk them through what to expect. For example: ‘The procedure will take about an hour.’ ‘We need to fill out some paperwork before we begin.’ ‘Breakfast is served between 8 – 8:30.’ ‘You can expect to be done around 3 p.m.’ ‘The doctor is running 20 minutes late because he was tied up with a patient emergency this morning … ’ Lay out the plan and ask them if they have any questions or concerns with what was presented. This give the patient the opportunity to object to anything and gives your team the chance to gain agreement on the path forward. Once the patient understands the expectations, then all the team needs to do is make sure they do what they said they were going to do. It is always impressive to see a staff that is not only delivering great care, but taking the time to make sure the patient is also great with everything going on. By constantly taking the temperature (both literally and figuratively) of the patient, these teams find the balance between giving care and showing that they care. They even manage to find a way to satisfy the most demanding patients. If the patient starts complaining, they take the time to find a compromise that will work for everyone. If you want great results when it comes to patient care, develop ways to set clear expectations upfront and use feedback throughout the visit to make sure your organization is delivering!
