MD Anderson’s new patient satisfaction initiatives prove successful
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center recently undertook a quality improvement initiative aimed at enhancing patient experiences.
“This initiative was implemented because we are deeply committed to a continual evaluation of how to better serve and meet the needs of patients with diverse cancer diagnoses,” said Luisa “Dee” Gallardo, MSN, RN, NE-BC and director of clinical nursing at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. “To address this goal, an interprofessional team was assembled to identify opportunities for enhancement to current work flows. Through thoughtful collaboration with patient participants on this team, it was identified that some call lights were not in fact signaling outside of the patient rooms, leading to delays in response to patient needs.”
To address concerns about responsivity, Gallardo said, an interprofessional team was assembled to evaluate data and identify key steps to remediate challenges in the clinical setting.
The team identified three opportunities to enhance performance, specifically: “Modify bedside shift report structure, hourly rounding requirements (and) call bell functionality,” Gallardo said.
The aggregate Press Ganey scores for the five surgical units showed remarkable measurable outcomes as a result of the implementation of this initiative. Specifically, “getting help as soon as you wanted it” improved to the 99th percentile, and “toileting as soon as you wanted it” improved to the 97th percentile.
“Interprofessional collaboration is a cornerstone of our approach to thoughtful, measurable and sustainable quality improvement at MD Anderson,” Gallardo said. “This initiative is one of many that focuses on enhancing the care of our patients through a collaborative approach that is fostered by our shared governance model, the Nursing Practice Congress.”