Introduction
Career satisfaction is a complex and subjective concept with as yet undefined boundaries and many interacting variables. Often the concepts of patient satisfaction and patient perceptions of quality are used interchangeably, while there is a difference between them. While all of the main findings regarding patient dissatisfaction came from surveys, I would like to separate qualitative and quantitative data. For example, an analysis of the overall dissatisfaction rate and detailed answers would help to understand areas for improvement.
However, the survey data can be used to understand the main complaints of patients for further analysis and development of improvement strategies. The areas identified as the main causes of dissatisfaction are mainly related to the elements of information provision, namely:
- Inability to ask questions to the supplier.
- Difficulty making appointments.
That, in turn, affects the disposition of clients and future communication with medical staff, which was also noted as a problem area. If the identified problems are not addressed, Metropolitan Health will lose its image, which will lead to a decrease in the use of services and the organization’s market share.
Communication Best Practices
There are ways to optimize the processes of providing medical services in medical institutions. It is proposed to take the following measures: organize the presence of an administrator on duty in the lobby; eliminate the need to contact the registry (outpatient card, an appointment for an examination) (Tian et al., 2019). Many researchers proposed introducing a work standard (speech modules, instructions); developing navigational markings (pointers); the system of storage and search of maps was standardized; introducing color-coding; the system for delivering cards to offices has been improved (Tulsky et al., 2017). Based on the analysis of the questionnaires, there is no need to implement all of the above practices since the problem area has been identified. The most effective practices will be those aimed at facilitating making an appointment for patients and setting standards for communication between staff and patients. It could be communication skills training, which will eventually increase the self-efficacy of healthcare professionals and improve inter-collegiate communication and communication with patients. A patient-centered model of healthcare delivery can improve the healthcare system.
Stakeholders
In the process of improving patient satisfaction, the stakeholders are the owners of the organization, medical staff, and the patients themselves. Failure to establish mutually beneficial communication between stakeholders can lead to a significant drop in the organization’s rating, and patients will choose competitors, which will reduce the institution’s profitability.
Communication Strategies
The main goal of the project communication plan is to ensure effective communication between staff and patients. It can be achieved by educating employees and conducting additional surveys to explore the critical areas for improvement in clinical practice (Curtis et al., 2017). Thus, the developed communication strategy will help Metropolitan Health become the most reliable and leading medical services provider for patients in the Voskhod region.
To evaluate the communication plan, it is necessary to ask the opinion (conduct a survey) of patients, stakeholders, and sponsors about their reactions and suggestions for improvement.
Conclusions
The Metropolitan Health Patient Satisfaction Survey identified communication issues, that is, lack of communication skills among employees. In order to improve the level of organization and not lose customers, it is necessary to develop strategies to improve the quality of services provided. These can be training, established communication norms, and system improvement. The plan should include external and internal communication strategies, that is, within the team and communication with clients.
References
Curtis, K., Fry, M., Shaban, R. Z., & Considine, J. (2017). Translating research findings to clinical nursing practice. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 26(5-6), 862–872.
Tian, S., Yang, W., Grange, J. M., Wang, P., Huang, W., & Ye, Z. (2019). Smart healthcare: Making medical care more intelligent. Global Health Journal, 3(3), 62–65.
Tulsky, J. A., Beach, M. C., Butow, P. N., Hickman, S. E., Mack, J. W., Morrison, R. S., Street, R. L., Sudore, R. L., White, D. B., & Pollak, K. I. (2017). A research agenda for communication between health care professionals and patients living with serious illness. JAMA Internal Medicine, 177(9), 1361.