Hourly rounding: a strategy to improve patient satisfaction scores - Research Paper Example

This study will be evaluating various elements of the effectiveness of hourly rounding. It will also consider whether hourly rounding is an effective strategy to improve the patient satisfaction. The method of study is qualitative and will be conducted in the specific area of medical health care system in the United States. The data for this analysis will be collected from patients at the Primary Care Clinics at Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers in the states of Arkansas, Illinois and Washington.

The demographic characteristics of the population taken for the study will be veterans, between the ages of 55 to 65, white, married and not working. The system for the study would compose the Outcome Variables of Humanistic Scale and Organizational Scale. Other potential determinants of patient satisfaction that influenced the study were Patient-related Variables, Provider-related Variables, and Organizational variables. The central element of health care delivery that is expected to bring the maximum patient satisfaction is continuity of care.

A sustained and consistent relationship between the patient and provider will be estimated to be the essential component of primary care. The longitudinal association ultimately resulted in building a bond between the patient and the care provider would be raised by trust and responsibility. Patients’ satisfaction with their health is understandable from their decisions of selecting health care plans, responding to the prescribed contingent, and accepting the outcomes. Many patient characteristics such as demographic factors, socioeconomic status are connected with the general patient satisfaction.

Aside from these patient characteristics, the method in which the care is provided also has great impacts on the patient satisfaction. By using systematic strategies like the hourly rounding is expected to improve the patients’ satisfaction scores. Besides, research results show that the characteristics of the medical provider such as age, experience, and gender are essential factors that influence the patients’ contentment. Ford (2010) in his Hourly rounding: a strategy to improve patient satisfaction scores points out that patient safety is the important element of satisfaction and hourly rounding is one of the effective ways to improve patient satisfaction and safety.

The journal also provides consistent methods to improve the staff’s hourly round by analyzing on the four common need for which the patients are observed pressing their call buttons; they are personal needs, pain, placement of possession, and positioning. The study will include the research variables by analyzing the relationship between self-reported continuity and satisfaction. In order to evaluate the causes and effects of the study and the actions and the reactions under the study, it will be conducted at various phases by adjusting the characteristics of providers, clinics, and patients.

Demographic elements, such as socioeconomic status, patient utilization, and health status will be taken into consideration during the study, in both organizational and humanistic scores. There has been many journals researching and analyzing on the importance of continuity in health care service. There is evidence that continuity of care is associated with improved results such as fewer emergency department visits and hospitalizations