Our unit 4B is a 30-bed unit with a diverse patient population with surgical and medical diagnoses of intermediate care–level acuity. In the third quarter of 2015, our Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems score on the nurse-to-patient com munication component of patient satisfaction was 67.6 (fourth percentile), whereas the hospital goal was 79.2. During routine patient-satisfaction rounds, the leadership team also identified that patients were unsatisfied with the level of communication with their primary nurses. After further assessment, some patients verbalized that even though nurses spent time communicating with them, they felt there was a lack of an interpersonal connection that they were yearning for. Unit leadership and shared governance council board members (Community of Practice) decided to implement best-practice recommendations to improve communication with patients.
Evidence was found in the literature of the value of patient-centered communication in developing a holistic relationship with the patients. According...