Patients who are over 80 years old have lower patient experience scores than other patient segments, suggesting that providers are not meeting the special needs of this group, according to a new Press Ganey report.
"Most patients in this very elderly population claim a 'poor' or 'fair' health status and tend to have greater or more complex needs," said Thomas Lee, MD, CMO of Press Ganey. "Organizations that embrace a more focused, compassionate, connected care model have the potential to reduce suffering for this very vulnerable population and mitigate the impact of age and health status on patient experience ratings."
The research note, "Patient Experience in the Very Elderly: An Emerging Strategic Focus," points out that because the very elderly segment of the population is growing, hospitals would be remiss to not focus on meeting its needs.
According to Press Ganey analysis, the following five themes emerge when people in the very elderly population comment on care experience:
- Failure to meet needs for information
- Chaos of having too many clinicians
- Not having enough time
- Responsiveness when calling for bathroom assistance
- General hygiene
Press Ganey recommends hospitals should not take a "one size fits all" approach and instead should "develop focused efforts for this segment of patients, and organize multidisciplinary teams to meet their needs."
Download the full report here.