Clinical Nursing Practice Problem
Patient satisfaction is an important indicator to assess to pursue the strategy of improving the quality of care provided. According to Coutinho et al. (2019), satisfaction is considered as the patient’s reaction to the experience of the healthcare received or purchasing a product according to their expectation. More specifically, it is the feeling of pleasure or disappointment that resulted in comparing the expected performance in terms of the patient’s expectations. The issue of patient satisfaction is fundamental for the management of nursing services, as their understanding might facilitate a performance assessment that will imply the strategic and operational decisions that can be improved.
Clinical Nursing PICOT Question
As the patient satisfaction concern indicates the quality of the services provided by healthcare organizations, as well as the patients’ adherence to the treatment, the following question occurs:
Are patients with coronary artery disease or cardiac insufficiency (P), assisted by a Health Education Ambulatory (I) over the 8 months period (T), satisfied (O) with the service based upon the qualitative dependent variables (C)?
Define PICOT Elements
- P- (patient population/patients of interest): patients with coronary artery disease and/or cardiac insufficiency regardless of the disease etiology.
- I- (Intervention): evaluation of the patients’ satisfactory level.
- C- (Comparison): the qualitative dependent variables (sex, age, residency, companion relationship, number of consultations attended, year of the first consultation, and hospital readmission during follow-up).
- O- (Measurable outcome): High satisfactory level.
- T- (Time frame in months): time period from December 2012 to July 2013 – 8 months.
Evidence Retrieval Process and Summary
There is no interaction between the patient’s satisfaction levels to the qualitative dependent variables. Considering its chronic and potentially irreversible condition, patients with heart disease address their conditions for a long time. Therefore, a better comprehension of these diseases, as well as an educational plan and the medications applied, might contribute to the implementation of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment and improving the patient’s life quality.
A study conducted by Coutinho et al. (2019) demonstrated that the elements that impacted the positive assessment of the quality of service were the “technical capacity of the nursing professional and the appropriate interpersonal relationship” (p. 1114). Hence, this evidence proved that the evaluation of patient satisfaction is based upon the technical procedures, as well as the cases that imply confidence, empathy, and patience on the part of the healthcare provider.
Implications of the Evidence
The healthcare providers should be aware of how they are being assessed, namely concerning the quality of care they promote and patient satisfaction. Patient experience of care is evaluated by results of member satisfaction surveys and is based upon eight key categories. They include “the health plan, customer service, accessing needed care, their PCP and specialty clinicians, quickly receiving care, communication with physicians, and the health care received” (Wilson and Balderrama, 2018, p. 2). As such, in terms of the quality of care, it is essential to remain focused on the interpersonal aspects of the relationship between the caregiver and the patient.
References
Coutinho, A., Lopes, J., Carneiro, C., Santos, V., & Barros, A. (2019). The satisfaction of patients assisted by a health education ambulatory. Cuidado É Fundamental Online, 11(5), 1111-1116. Web.
Wilson, D., & Balderrama, D. (2018). Patient satisfaction: The healthcare effectiveness data and information set (HEDIS). CINAHL Nursing Guide, 1-4.