Improving pediatric experiences
This year, a few hospitals are focusing on improving patient experience for children.
1. Fairview Park Hospital in Dublin, Ga., is aiming to reduce hospital anxiety for children between six months and four years with a number of child-friendly additions, including cartoon ceiling tiles, little tyke cars, iPads and mini-surgery caps with cartoons. The surgery manager also helps parents talk openly with their children about their fears so they feel understood and supported.
2. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is using virtual reality to reduce pain medication use and improve patient experience during procedures. The system hired a hospital VR technologist to guide and support patients through the process. The VR is loaded with games that distract the brain and reduce anxiety and pain during and after procedures.
Improving patient experience with staff
Three hospitals across the nation are homing in on the patient experience while interacting with staff.
3. St. Louis-based Barnes-Jewish Hospital launched a nurse-led intervention to provide patients in inpatient units with a better sleep experience. The system tested nine interventions, including clustering care activities at night to reduce unnecessary interruptions, giving nurses clip-on flashlights to wear instead of turning on overhead lights and providing patients with white noise machines. After the interventions were started, the number of patients who said their hospital ward was “always” quiet at night jumped from 51% to 86%, and patients’ sleep opportunities increased from 4.94 hours per night to 5.10.
4. Hartford (Conn.) HealthCare partnered with the American School for the Deaf to improve the care experience for patients who are deaf and hard of hearing. The school will offer free-of-charge in-person and virtual interpreting services, assistive listening devices and note-takers for patients during routine and ED visits.
“It is our privilege ― and responsibility ― to meet the communication needs of those who rely on us as part of our work to promote the health and healing of all,” Ajay Kumar, MD, executive vice president and chief clinical officer of Hartford HealthCare said in a system news release. “Clear communication is essential for quality and safe care. This is certainly the case in our own healthcare experiences, and we know this is true for all our patients.”
Addressing nonclinical needs
While most systems are focusing patient experience initiatives on care, some hospitals are taking a whole-person approach and finding ways to improve nonclinical experiences.
5. Indianapolis-based Indiana University Health System launched a Congregational Care Network. Physicians at the system walk patients through a “spiritual assessment” questionnaire to identify whether there is a need beyond physical care. If a patient who values faith-based care has little to no support system, they are referred to the program. There, they are paired with members of local faith groups who spend time with them over a 12-week period.
“Patients will say the most important part of their health journey is their provider, and second is their faith,” Jay Foster, vice president of spiritual care at IU, told NPR. “There’s a positive correlation between those who say that spirituality is important for them and overall good health. It’s not just a nice add-on to help the question of health. It’s consequential to health.”
6. Lenexa-based University of Kansas Health System partnered with a local salon to provide a new personalized haircare kit program for patients with textured hair. The program is expected to expand in 2025, but for now helps patients undergoing dialysis.
