game of phone tag.
Share positive feedback, too.
Post complimentary quotes
from patients in the break-
room for staff, surgeons and
anesthesia providers to see.
Sharing the positive things
patients say about your team
will inspire them to continue
delivering great care.
Attitude adjustment
Ms. Engle recalls when a leadership change at her facility caused ten-
sion among the staff. Patients could sense — and in some cases see
— the negative ways employees interacted with each other and noted
in their satisfaction surveys that it was obvious the staff didn't like
each other. She knew things had to change and had staff focus on
how they interacted with each other as much as they emphasized
patient-centered care.
As the staff started to respect each other as people instead of just
colleagues, patients took notice and satisfaction scores began to
increase.
"We also see the nurses and staff talking to the patients differently,"
says Ms. Engle. "Even on the busiest days, staff never refer to patients
as a number or a procedure. They're always referred to by name and
treated like a person. You can just feel the positivity of the center and
see that people are happy and love to be there. That small attitude
adjustment made a big difference in our patient satisfaction scores."
OSM
5 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9
• PERSONAL TOUCH The smallest gesture can make a big differ-
ence in how patients perceive the care you provided.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR