How does a hospital improve the patient experience? With the help of Collette Health, remote patient observation.
Patient satisfaction is defined as a subjective measure of whether a patient’s expectations about a health encounter were met. (Source: Guideway Care) In essence, it is the extent to which patients are happy with their healthcare. (Source: PatientEngagementHIT) In recent years, the healthcare industry has made significant moves towards prioritizing patient satisfaction. Many things contribute to a good patient experience, from best-in-class treatment to technologically advanced facilities. However, that is just the tip of the iceberg. There are a multitude of ways to improve patient experience, including both employee engagement and overall patient attentiveness. So, how does a hospital improve in these areas? With the help of Collette Health, remote patient observation.
Employee Engagement and Attentiveness: What Is It?
The term employee engagement is thrown around quite often these days. At first glance, employee engagement sounds as though it is all about how the employee feels about work. Are you satisfied at work? Are you happy in your position? While these are important questions for employees and employers alike, it does not end there. In fact, it can even cause confusion and lead healthcare leaders to underinvest their time and money in engagement initiatives, thinking engagement is a “nice to have” rather than an enabler of their most important goals. (Source: Forbes) Simply put, employee engagement is the emotional commitment employees have to the company and its goals. When your employees are engaged—when they care—they give discretionary effort. (Source: Forbes)
In the healthcare industry, some of the signs of that effort include hospital workers who make eye contact with their patients, workers who listen as patients ask questions, and workers who create a real rapport with their patients. (Source: Forbes) In essence, employee engagement comes down to hospital workers creating a personal connection with their patients through their attentiveness. This begs the question, how exactly does employee engagement lead to more patient satisfaction?
How Employee Engagement Links to Patient Satisfaction
No matter the industry, at a basic level, friendlier employees create a better environment and atmosphere for customers. And the same is true of hospital workers and patients. Think about it this way: if you were a patient, would you want an attentive, engaged nurse checking on you? Or one who is unengaged and inattentive? And how would you fill out your patient satisfaction survey at the end of your stay? When organization[s] such as those within the healthcare field directly service customers or patients, the employee’s level of engagement can potentially have an impact on the patient’s level of satisfaction and their overall experience within the organization. (Source: UKDiss)
So how can you improve employee engagement, to therefore provide better a patient experience? According to some studies, things like developing a rapport, making care personal, communicating consistently, and listening, are among the most important in improv[ing] employee engagement. (Source: Relias) And how does a hospital do that? One way—is with Collette Health.
How Collette Health Boosts Employee Engagement and Supports Attentive Care
Collette Health is a remote patient observation solution that allows one virtual patient sitter (your employee) to watch up to ten patients at one time. As previously stated above, some of the best ways to improve employee engagement is through attentiveness: developing a rapport with patients, communicating consistently to patients, and listening to patients. When a patient is under Collette Health observation, there is someone paying attention to them at all times. The idea is that the Collette Health observer can immediately address any needs or concerns the patient may have. The observer is there when the nurse is not – they are attentive and engaged.
Collette Health was originally designed to be a patient safety tool—one sitter able to watch ten patients at once. Initially conceptualized to help prevent patient falls, its impact has expanded beyond fall prevention, and has proven to provide vital support to improving employee engagement with patients. Based on multiple studies, it is clear that enhanced employee engagement and attentiveness goes a long way to improving patient satisfaction.
If you would like to learn more or are interested in installing Collette Health in your healthcare facility, visit our Contact Us page.