The quality of hospitals across the United States is inconsistent. To address this issue, the federal government and private organizations have begun to publicly report data, such as how well hospitals treat certain conditions.
But until now, there has been no data on how patients themselves feel about the care they received. A new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers analyzed the first national data on patients' experiences in hospital settings and found that though patients are generally satisfied with their care, there is substantial room for improvement in a number of key areas, including pain management and discharge instructions.
The study appears in the Oct. 30 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
"These data really represent a sea change for the health care system. Patient-centered care is at the heart of a high-performing system, and until now, we have lacked information on how patients feel about their care. With this information now freely available, providers and policymakers can begin to focus on improving patients' experiences in the hospital," said lead author Ashish K. Jha, assistant professor of health policy at HSPH.
The researchers analyzed data collected in the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey, which asked patients questions about their hospital experiences and their demographic characteristics. Responses were grouped into six areas: communication with doctors, communication with nurses, communication about medications, quality of nursing services, how well hospitals prepared patients for discharge, and pain management. More than 2,400 hospitals (about 60 percent of U.S. hospitals) reported data.
The results showed that, on average, about 67 percent of patients would definitely recommend the hospital at which they were treated. Patients were more satisfied with hospitals that had a greater ratio of nurses to patients, which wasn't surprising to the researchers. However, the HCAHPS survey provides the first national data to show the important role that nurses can play in providing patient-centered care.