The times when nurses received payment for providing care independent of its quality has long gone. Now hospitals’ management teams try to evaluate the quality of care that their patients receive. Measurements that define outcomes can be both physiological and social (Polit & Beck, 2004, p. 232). While both doctors and nurses are responsible for conducting medical procedures, the latter also performs a high level of social interactions. This paper discusses patient satisfaction measurement as one of the outcomes research that can be affected by nurses in their work.
Outcomes for Business
Every hospital is also a business structure that dwells on receiving income for its services. The number of patients dramatically affects clinics as it is not only evidence of financing but also the base for creating a reputation. The level of patient satisfaction is one of the things that can make people return to a hospital if they have to address it next time. Pfugeisen et al. (2016) have conducted research that links patient satisfaction with their desire to be admitted to the same institution again in the future. One of the top-ranked value appears to be the interactions between patients and nurses, which were positively evaluated by more than 90 per cent of respondents. Elements like friendliness, respect, time devotion, explanations, and answering questions work towards creating the best quality of health care through increasing the level of patient satisfaction.
Interpersonal Contact
The use of electronic devices for providing health care is currently a developing trend in many countries. It is easier to keep track of patients’ history and provide them with the necessary information quickly. However, studies show that the use of computers during interactions with patients can lower the overall quality of care (Farber et al., 2015). The research was designed to record the time which a nurse devoted to patients apart from working with a computer. Patients were later asked to evaluate their level of satisfaction with this service. The results show that those people who received the most interpersonal attention felt the most satisfied with the quality of care.
Patients’ Evaluation
Sometimes it is more beneficial to ask patients themselves about the problems they encounter in hospitals that influence their level of satisfaction. The research by Moore et al. (2016) was designed to collect patients’ opinions on the most common issues that they faced. Interpersonal interactions were mentioned during this study as an essential quality measure. However, the primary concern appeared to be the time spent by nurses on interacting with patients. Respondents told that they did not like the feeling of a rush during their hospital visit. The research proves once again, that interpersonal communication is one of the primary values for ensuring patient satisfaction. Although this study has some limitations like the type of respondents, all of which were the military servants, the results can be applied to other categories.
Conclusion
Patient satisfaction is one of the measures for outcomes research regarding the quality of health care. Various studies show that the level of satisfaction might help to retain clients. One of the most critical factors for this value is an interpersonal interaction between a nurse and a patient. People tend to value the time spent on talking to them more than other elements of health care services offered in hospitals.
References
Farber, N. J., Lin, L., Yunan, C., Calvitti, A., Street Jr, R. L., Zuest, D., … Agha, Z. (2015). EHR use and patient satisfaction: What we learned. Journal of Family Practice, 64(11), 1-8.
Moore, A. D., Hamilton, J. B., Krusel, J. L., Moore, L. G., & Pierre-Louis, B. J. (2016). Patients provide recommendations for improving patient satisfaction. Military Medicine, 181(4), 356-363.
Pflugeisen, B. M., Rebar, S., Reedy, A., Pierce, R., & Amoroso P. J. (2016). Assessment of clinical trial participant patient satisfaction: A call to action. Trials, 17, 1-7. Web.
Polit, D. F., & Beck, C.T. (2004). Nursing research: Principles and methods (7th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.