For every action, there is a reaction, and among the reactions to the increased interest in patient experience has been skepticism about the measures and their importance. Providers worry that the measures reflect “hotel functions” rather than determinants of patients’ health outcomes.

—Nash et al., 2019, p. 236

Whether from a survey, panel, or individual interviews, collecting and measuring data about patient experience is not an easy task, or a task without controversy. There are many schools of thought concerning the best way to approach analyzing the patient experience, and there are many methods and measures used to analyze the patient experience.

This week, you will explore the measurement and analysis of the patient experience. In your reading and Discussion, you will examine the use of scorecards and dashboards for patient satisfaction. You will also consider the strengths and weaknesses of using these measurement devices and evaluate their impact on patient care and satisfaction.

Reference:

Nash, D. B., Joshi, M. S., Ransom, E. R., & Ransom, S. B. (Eds.). (2019). The healthcare quality book: Vision, strategy, and tools (4th ed.). Health Administration Press.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Analyze healthcare organization scorecards and dashboards for patient satisfaction
• Summarize patient satisfaction and experience measures for a healthcare organization
• Contrast patient satisfaction and experience measures for healthcare organizations
• Analyze how patient satisfaction and experience measures contribute to goal setting and improvement in healthcare organizations
• Evaluate impact of patient satisfaction and experience measures on organizational performance

Learning Resources

Required Readings (click to expand/reduce)

Discussion: Measurement Systems and Methods

• You are a DNP-prepared nurse working at a hospital focused on improving patient satisfaction. After receiving care at your hospital, patients are provided a scorecard to survey their patient experience. The patient surveys range in questions from wait time to effectiveness of care, and these surveys provide your hospital with a scorecard indicating how the hospital is performing against these metrics. Upon reviewing the scorecards, you are able to highlight areas of improvement and areas of success, however, you find the responses are often difficult to analyze, as there are a wide range of responses, and there are many variables.

• Photo Credit: Getty Images

The process of constructing a balanced scorecard for the tracking of patient satisfaction can be controversial. For example, a hospital’s patient satisfaction scorecard provides a snapshot of gathered data for the hospital, but the data may be out of context, which makes it difficult to identify specific problems. It is evident that both scorecards and dashboards have a place in the healthcare setting; however, will all organizations and accrediting bodies agree on the aspects of implementation, data analysis, and levels of effectiveness?

For this Discussion, you will explore key indicators involved with the use of scorecards and dashboards for tracking organizational performance. Reflect on a particular healthcare organization or nursing practice with an established scorecard or dashboard measuring patient experience.

To Prepare:

• Review the Learning Resources for this week, and reflect on how a healthcare organization or nursing practice setting uses scorecards and dashboards.
• Select any healthcare organization or nursing practice setting that has an established scorecard or dashboard measuring patient experience and improvement goals.
• Be sure to obtain an example of the scorecard or dashboard from the healthcare organization or nursing practice setting (you selected) for this Discussion.
• Reflect on how these measurement systems and measurement methods may impact organizational goal setting in the areas of overall performance and financial stability.
• Explore the key indicators involved with scorecards and dashboards, as well as the external quality standards to which they are compared.
• Reflect on what the metrics used in the balanced scorecards and dashboards might mean to your specific organization and/or nursing practice. Has your organization established goals for these or similar metrics and are they currently being met? Why, or why not?

By Day 3 of Week 5

Post a brief description of the healthcare organization or nursing practice setting you selected. Summarize the measures on the scorecard or dashboard in which patient experience of care is measured, tracked, and used to set improvement goals. Be specific. Explain whether goals at your organization are established, for these metrics you reviewed, and whether or not they are currently being met. Then, describe the potential impacts of meeting or not meeting these metrics for your healthcare organization, and explain why. Be specific and provide examples.

By Day 6 of Week 5

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses and respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by expanding upon your colleague’s post or offering an alternative interpretation of the patient experience measures described by your colleague as they might relate to your specific practice or organization.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 5 Discussion Rubric

Post by Day 3 of Week 5 and Respond by Day 6 of Week 5

To Participate in this Discussion:

Week 5 Discussion

What’s Coming Up in Week 6?

• Photo Credit: [BrianAJackson]/[iStock / Getty Images Plus]/Getty Images

Next week, you will continue your exploration of quality improvement. You will examine considerations for organizational culture and readiness as it concerns engaging in and preparedness for quality improvement initiatives. You will also submit your DNP Project Faculty Advisor and Site Identification form.

Looking Ahead: Clinical Assignment: DNP Project Faculty Advisor and Site Identification

• Preparation for project planning will begin during the clinical component of NURS 8302. By Day 7 of Week 6, you will identify an organization that you will approach to discuss a gap in practice or practice change that you might assist with as your DNP project.
  Possible appointments to explore a site for the project include those made with the chief nursing officer, director of quality improvement, or director of education. In a clinic or community agency, the contact person may be the director or someone in human resources. You may complete the project at your place of employment, as long as you are not working on your own unit or with people that you supervise.

• Photo Credit: fizkes / Adobe Stock

This project will include a development of a staff education program, development of a clinical practice guideline, or an evaluation of an existing quality improvement process. The project process cannot include patients or nursing students. The project cannot be completed at an academic setting.

Preparation for project planning will begin during the clinical component of NURS 8302. The DNP Project must follow guidelines set forth in one of the DNP Project manuals:

• Clinical Practice Guidelines Manual
• Staff Education Manual
• Quality Improvement Evaluation Manual

NOTE: All forms and manuals are found on the DNP Capstone Resources site:

Your project team will consist of a preceptor or project mentor from the organization, and a three-member Faculty Committee from Walden who will be assigned upon completion of this course. You will begin your project in the next term through the mentoring course, NURS 8702.

Once you identify a site and have contacted the organization, you will complete the DNP Project Faculty Advisor and Site Identification—Matching Request Form identifying the site and describing the possible practice change or gap to be addressed. This form must be completed and turned in by Day 7 of Week 6.

 Approaching the organization:

1. Identify the organization where you would like to make an appointment with organization leadership to discuss your DNP project. This can be within your workplace or at a different site. The site for the project does not need to be the same site as the clinical practicum site.
2. Find out from the organization if there is a key person who oversees students doing DNP projects. This might be the director of nursing, the director of staff development, or the person in charge of quality improvement initiatives. In a clinic or community organization, this might be the medical director or a non-medical person in a leadership or administrative role. If there is no key person, your first contact should be someone from nursing leadership. If you are unsure of how to proceed, discuss with your NURS 8302 Faculty.
3. Make an appointment with the identified person (above) to discuss the Walden University DNP project.
4. Briefly explain the focus of the DNP project.
   1. As a requirement of Walden University’s DNP degree, you are required to complete a DNP Project.
   1. This project will focus on a quality improvement initiative that integrates project management tools and techniques, as well as addresses a gap in nursing practice or an identified practice change.
   1. For the purpose of this project, a quality improvement initiative is defined as an intervention that supports an improvement in healthcare outcomes. This project will follow one of the DNP project manuals for the project and can focus on a staff education program, development of a clinical practice guideline, or an evaluation of an existing quality improvement process. The project process cannot include patients or nursing students.
   1. The project process requires a mentor from the organization that will work with the Walden Faculty Advisor to oversee the project process.
5. Explore a possible gap in practice or practice change that the organization is seeking to address through an education program, clinical practice guideline, or evaluation of change completed by the organization to improve outcomes.
6. Discuss identification of a project mentor for the project.
7. Share the next steps in the process.
   1. You will be assigned a Faculty Advisor when the next term begins (date).

You will contact organization representative during the first week of the term to set up a meeting with the Faculty Advisor, the organization representative, and the project mentor to discuss the project.

Next Week