By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Can Thinking Younger Make You Live Longer?
    April 20, 2011
    Image
    Obesity’s Outlook Unchanged
    June 13, 2011
    When It’s An Emergency Elderly Not Treated As Well in Hospitals
    July 16, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: The (Little) Things That Matter To Patients
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Hospital Administration > The (Little) Things That Matter To Patients
BusinessHospital Administration

The (Little) Things That Matter To Patients

Anne Weiler
Last updated: August 25, 2015 1:15 pm
Anne Weiler
Share
7 Min Read
SHARE

Outcome measurement is top of mind for all of us in healthcare these days, and there’s been a lot of talk about whether measures drive the right behavior, with some examples of how patient satisfaction measures can create a “Disneyfication” of the healthcare system, which at its worst, results in animatronic nurses reciting scripts and patients demanding the amenities of a 5-star hotel.

Outcome measurement is top of mind for all of us in healthcare these days, and there’s been a lot of talk about whether measures drive the right behavior, with some examples of how patient satisfaction measures can create a “Disneyfication” of the healthcare system, which at its worst, results in animatronic nurses reciting scripts and patients demanding the amenities of a 5-star hotel. When managing towards patient satisfaction in the extreme results in a “patient is always right” mentality and additional or unnecessary procedures are performed on demand we need to question whether “patient satisfaction” or outcomes should be the goal. However, the patient experience with and in a healthcare setting impacts their desire and ability to recover, and therefore can impact outcomes.

Small and not so small things that focus on the patient experience, not in trying to win at patient satisfaction measures, but in really thinking about what will make patients comfortable and cared for to help them heal. At a recent talk at Seattle’s Cambia Grove, a physician who had recently joined Iora Health described their clinics as “places you could actually get better.” Compare how spas are designed to inspire you to health versus your average doctor’s office. A lot of healthcare offices feel like places you could get sick, and they often are.

In their annual report on patient outcomes, Hoag Orthopedics offers patient stories. I was struck by how fondly these patients recalled their hip replacement experiences. There is no way a hip replacement can be pleasant, but Hoag delivers such a high quality of care and for these patients, the hip replacement provided a release from constant pain and function back. As a result, the entire experience was positive.

More Read

The Presidential Medical Formula–Self Contained Medical Clinics in Your Home
An Easy Way to Improve the Cash Flow of a Medical Practice
Navigating The Changing Landscape Of The Medical Marijuana Industry
How Much do Financial Incentives Matter to Physicians?
Confidentiality

That got me thinking about my own experiences as a patient and those of my loved ones, and which ones felt that way and which didn’t.

Similar to the Hoag patients, I had a really positive experience when I had an appendectomy, in Russia no less! A few things stand out for me about the quality of the experience:

  • The hospital was extremely quiet and in a city of 13 million this was no small feat. Noise in hospitals is often cited as the number one complaint for patients impacting satisfaction scores, and has recently become a top priority for hospital administrators. Compare the noises of a spa to the noises of a hospital and consider which one you’d want to recover in.

    Luxury hotel or private hospital, the European Medical Center in Moscow

  • As I regained consciousness in the recovery room, hot air was pumped into my bed—general anesthesia lowers the body temperature, but my first sensation on regaining consciousness was of being in a warm cocoon, this continued to my hospital bed which had a duvet on it. This may not seem like much but for someone who is always cold it made a big impression.
  • I wasn’t able to eat anything but my roommate said that the food was incredible (and in Russia no less)
  • The cost for all this value, including not having a burst appendix or other complications: 2 nights was less than $5000!

Contrast this to my mom’s experience during 6 months in a rehabilitation hospital recovering from a rare auto-immune disease. Blankets were flimsy at best and we supplemented them and the pillows to make her more comfortable—granted this was a long stay and adding comfort and personal items was important. While my mom was in the hospital she started losing her thick and still almost black hair. The physicians looked into whether it was side effects of any of the drugs she was taking. However, when she left the hospital it started to grow back. Her family physician diagnosed the problem: poor nutrition. The food in the hospital was of such poor quality that she lost her hair! Although this hospital had a nutritionist that reviewed patient’s diets, to save money they no longer had food preparation on staff and an institutional caterer brought in food. How did this lack of nutrition impact her recovery? Could she have regained strength and function faster with better food?

Two vastly different experiences with things that may seem tangential to care, but are they really? Think back to when you were a child and were sick. What did you want? Comforting nutritious food, and a cozy blanket. While what was most important in both experiences was treating the original problem: a duvet wouldn’t have helped me much if my appendix had burst or surgery was botched, however, the experience of being warm, comfortable, and cared for definitely helped my recovery. I raved about the experience to a friend who thought I was crazy until she had surgery at the same hospital: she didn’t want to leave either.

The way we are cared for impacts our own recovery, and often our desire for recovery. Patients need to feel confident and cared for and with this, they can take responsibility for their own health.

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share
By Anne Weiler
Follow:
Anne Weiler is CEO and co-founder of Wellpepper, a clinically-validated and award winning platform for patient engagement that enables health systems to track patient outcomes in real-time against their own protocols and personalize treatment plans for patients. Wellpepper patients are over 70% engaged. Prior to Wellpepper, Anne was Director of Product Management at Microsoft Corporation.

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Health
May 15, 2025
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction heart treatment
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction
Cardiology
May 13, 2025

You Might also Like

Case Study: Improving “The Market” Slide in a Medical Presentation

June 9, 2014
bundled payments
BusinessFinance

Variations in Post-Acute Care Spending

May 19, 2014

The PCMH and Home Care Data: An Interview with Melissa McCormack

December 19, 2013
Healthcare Facility
Health ReformHospital AdministrationMedical Ethics

Joint Commission Report Leadership Safety Failures: How to Increase Safety at Your Healthcare Facility Today

May 3, 2017
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?