The success and professional reputation of healthcare facilitates are often dependent on how well the staff and management address the needs of its patients. Factors such as the quality of service, attention to detail, and general level of professionalism all affect the degree of satisfaction that patients derive from a particular facility.
Of course, nursing care facilities should also be covered by nursing home insurance. This ensures protection against liabilities arising from potential claims. But even if the facility is covered by insurance, nursing staff and administrators should strive to provide the highest quality of care possible.
Here are some tips on how nursing home personnel can improve satisfaction ratings and experience scores:
1. Improve staff approachability
The approachability of nursing staff is one of the key factors in improving patient satisfaction. Patients want to feel that their caregivers are genuinely concerned about them and that they are more than annoyances that come with the job.
Actively engaging with patients and getting to know them on a more personal level are essential aspects of staff approachability. It would also help for nurses to have a genuinely warm and positive demeanor even during stressful periods.
2. Maintain eye contact
Maintaining eye contact is an important aspect of human interaction. It shows patients that their nurses respect and care for them and consider them human beings. It also communicates politeness and consideration and shows that the caregiver has a genuine desire to address their needs.
Eye contact also shows patients that their nurses pay attention to them and are entirely focused on their concerns. Because so many aspects of nursing care rely on non-verbal cues, maintaining eye contact should be standard practice among caregivers.
3. Emphasize patient safety
Nursing staff should always place a high priority on patient safety. Patients need to feel that caregivers are focused on ensuring their well-being and providing a safe experience, whether at home or in a nursing care facility.
All nursing care facilities should have industry-standard safety features and practice current safety protocols. Anything that could cause harm or injury‒whether medications or implements‒should be kept under lock and key. Medicines should only be dispensed with the approval of the patient’s primary care physician.
4. Enhance patient-worker interaction
Nurses and caregivers should actively engage with patients, whether as part of their duties or within the bounds of normal social interaction. Given the demands and stresses of the job, many nurses neglect this crucial aspect of the patient-caregiver relationship. This often makes patients feel neglected or ignored or that their caregivers are too cold and impersonal.
Nurses don’t necessarily have to engage in long-drawn-out conversations with every patient they encounter. Even a short, friendly greeting or inquiry about how they are doing goes a long way in making patients feel more comfortable.
5. Simplify processes
Unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy often contribute to the dissatisfaction that people feel with government and private services. Patients can feel the same way about the nursing profession, especially if they have to deal with complicated service procurement processes.
Nursing staff and administrators can make things easier for patients by simplifying booking and payment systems and ensuring easier access to services. Staff should also be available to address patient concerns as soon as possible.
6. Standardize payment systems
Convoluted payment processes are common stumbling blocks for customers of service industries. Nursing care facilities can improve customer experience by standardizing processes and streamlining payment procedures in particular. In many cases, shifting to online payment portals has eased patients’ difficulties with standard payment and billing systems.
7. Improve patient information and education
Nursing home administrators should consider developing information programs aimed at clarifying and explaining common patient concerns. It would also help to institute a company-wide policy of simplifying medical terms for medicine administration and care processes. As always, proper communication and maintaining staff approachability will help minimize and prevent confusion among patients concerning the care services they receive.
Conclusion
Although patient satisfaction is crucial to the success of a nursing care facility, it shouldn’t come at the expense of providing the quality care they need. By following the tips outlined above, nursing staff can improve the quality of services they offer and, in turn, help improve satisfaction ratings and the experience scores of the facility.
About Caitlin Morgan
Caitlin Morgan specializes in insuring assisted living facilities and nursing homes and can assist you in providing insurance and risk management services for this niche market. Give us a call to learn more about our programs at (877) 226-1027.