Quality improvement initiative to improve communication domains of patient satisfaction in a regional community hospital with Six Sigma methodology
Background Communication gaps, whether incomplete or fragmented communication, have been the cause of many disasters in human civilisation. Coordination of healthcare is directly related to proper communication and handoffs among multidisciplinary teams throughout multiple shifts during a patient’s...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2023-11-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open Quality |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/12/4/e002306.full |
| _version_ | 1797365910988652544 |
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| author | Brittan F Carsten Pawan Bhandari Benjamin J Fortney Danielle S Wilmes Cassandra M Nelson Amy L Brien Rachel M Walth Gokhan Anil |
| author_facet | Brittan F Carsten Pawan Bhandari Benjamin J Fortney Danielle S Wilmes Cassandra M Nelson Amy L Brien Rachel M Walth Gokhan Anil |
| author_sort | Brittan F Carsten |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Communication gaps, whether incomplete or fragmented communication, have been the cause of many disasters in human civilisation. Coordination of healthcare is directly related to proper communication and handoffs among multidisciplinary teams throughout multiple shifts during a patient’s hospitalisation.Local problem Patient surveys and direct patient feedback at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, Minnesota, indicated that patient communication with physicians and nurses had declined in 2017 and 2018. Viewing this as an opportunity for improvement, our leadership initiated several changes to increase physician and nurse communication with patients, which resulted in no notable improvements.Methods A systematic quality improvement approach was implemented by using Six Sigma methodology. Stakeholders from multidisciplinary teams were assembled as the project team. The five steps of Six Sigma methodology (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control) were followed to create a quality improvement intervention.Intervention We developed a standardised and easy-to-use bedside team rounding tool to improve patient communication with physicians and nurses.Results Postintervention patient satisfaction top-box scores exceeded target improvements for both physician (from 78.5% to 82.0%, p<0.01) and nurse (from 80.5% to 83.1%, p=0.04) communication domains. Physicians had a 33-point increase in percentile rank (from 41st to 74th percentile rank), and nurses had a 25-point increase in percentile rank (from 59th to 84th percentile rank). This increase in communication ranked our institution at the top of national benchmark organisations.Conclusions Overwhelmingly positive patient feedback was achieved, and postintervention employee satisfaction was primarily positive when compared with preintervention satisfaction. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T16:56:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3388779aed934f9480387f40d92fe533 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2399-6641 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T16:56:40Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open Quality |
| spelling | doaj.art-3388779aed934f9480387f40d92fe5332024-01-04T23:40:08ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open Quality2399-66412023-11-0112410.1136/bmjoq-2023-002306Quality improvement initiative to improve communication domains of patient satisfaction in a regional community hospital with Six Sigma methodologyBrittan F Carsten0Pawan Bhandari1Benjamin J Fortney2Danielle S Wilmes3Cassandra M Nelson4Amy L Brien5Rachel M Walth6Gokhan Anil7Nursing, Mayo Clinic Health System – Southwest Minnesota Region, Mankato, Minnesota, USAMayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USAMayo Clinic Health System – Southwest Minnesota Region, Mankato, Minnesota, USANursing, Mayo Clinic Health System – Southwest Minnesota Region, Mankato, Minnesota, USANursing, Mayo Clinic Health System – Southwest Minnesota Region, Mankato, Minnesota, USAMayo Clinic Health System – Southwest Minnesota Region, Mankato, Minnesota, USANursing, Mayo Clinic Health System – Southwest Minnesota Region, Mankato, Minnesota, USAMayo Clinic Health System – Southwest Minnesota Region, Mankato, Minnesota, USABackground Communication gaps, whether incomplete or fragmented communication, have been the cause of many disasters in human civilisation. Coordination of healthcare is directly related to proper communication and handoffs among multidisciplinary teams throughout multiple shifts during a patient’s hospitalisation.Local problem Patient surveys and direct patient feedback at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, Minnesota, indicated that patient communication with physicians and nurses had declined in 2017 and 2018. Viewing this as an opportunity for improvement, our leadership initiated several changes to increase physician and nurse communication with patients, which resulted in no notable improvements.Methods A systematic quality improvement approach was implemented by using Six Sigma methodology. Stakeholders from multidisciplinary teams were assembled as the project team. The five steps of Six Sigma methodology (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control) were followed to create a quality improvement intervention.Intervention We developed a standardised and easy-to-use bedside team rounding tool to improve patient communication with physicians and nurses.Results Postintervention patient satisfaction top-box scores exceeded target improvements for both physician (from 78.5% to 82.0%, p<0.01) and nurse (from 80.5% to 83.1%, p=0.04) communication domains. Physicians had a 33-point increase in percentile rank (from 41st to 74th percentile rank), and nurses had a 25-point increase in percentile rank (from 59th to 84th percentile rank). This increase in communication ranked our institution at the top of national benchmark organisations.Conclusions Overwhelmingly positive patient feedback was achieved, and postintervention employee satisfaction was primarily positive when compared with preintervention satisfaction.https://bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/12/4/e002306.full |
| spellingShingle | Brittan F Carsten Pawan Bhandari Benjamin J Fortney Danielle S Wilmes Cassandra M Nelson Amy L Brien Rachel M Walth Gokhan Anil Quality improvement initiative to improve communication domains of patient satisfaction in a regional community hospital with Six Sigma methodology BMJ Open Quality |
| title | Quality improvement initiative to improve communication domains of patient satisfaction in a regional community hospital with Six Sigma methodology |
| title_full | Quality improvement initiative to improve communication domains of patient satisfaction in a regional community hospital with Six Sigma methodology |
| title_fullStr | Quality improvement initiative to improve communication domains of patient satisfaction in a regional community hospital with Six Sigma methodology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quality improvement initiative to improve communication domains of patient satisfaction in a regional community hospital with Six Sigma methodology |
| title_short | Quality improvement initiative to improve communication domains of patient satisfaction in a regional community hospital with Six Sigma methodology |
| title_sort | quality improvement initiative to improve communication domains of patient satisfaction in a regional community hospital with six sigma methodology |
| url | https://bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/12/4/e002306.full |
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