With all the competition in healthcare, anything that makes your facility more attractive to patients matters. So, making patients feel comfortable and more at home may have a positive impact on their satisfaction and could potentially result in an increased HCAHPS score (not to mention reimbursement).
One simple yet very effective way of accomplishing increased satisfaction is by improving the main source of entertainment a patient finds within a hospital room: the TV.
Changing technologies
Two recent revolutions in the television industry have occurred that today feel commonplace. However, most would argue that hospitals, as well as many commercial institutions, have been slow to keep up.
The first was the HD television. Again, these became extremely popular almost 10 years ago and would certainly be considered ubiquitous today. As homeowners filled their living rooms with these low-profile, high-definition sets, the former, bulky, box TVs were pushed into basements and garages, if not out of the house altogether.
Many medical facilities have kept pace with this advancement. General waiting areas are often equipped with very large, wall-mounted flat screen TVs. In addition, patient rooms often have them too, although those TVs are typically smaller.
The second advancement in TV technology is where most hospitals (or medical facilities) fall short: the digitization of video delivery. Although most hospitals have jumped on board and upgraded their old TVs for new models, they're still relying on a very limited analog feed to deliver programming. Turn on most TVs in a patient room and you'll find a low-quality, non-HD signal, a small lineup of channels and no guide or other advanced features like on-demand programming or DVR-like functionality.
Why TV is important
Let's face it: patients don't have many options for entertainment while in the hospital. Aside from the comfort of family and friends visiting, they spend most of their time confined to the bed. One of the only entertainment options is TV, so most patients rely on it to relax and to take their mind off why they are in the hospital in the first place. It's a way to provide some comfort and pass the time.
What happens if the TV experience is lacking? What if the patient can't find his or her favorite program because there is no on-screen guide? They're likely to hit the "nurse call" button. Now, the nurse is addressing a TV issue instead of responding to a healthcare need elsewhere.
Perhaps the overall lack of programming means the patient, or the visiting guests, can't find anything to watch. This could spark another nurse call to ask a question or simply complain. Again, this takes away from the nurse's time.
It may sound like a leap to imply TV can be a powerful part of the patient experience, but it's all about creating a comfortable environment. If the patient is frustrated due to poor TV quality in the room, he or she might rate the hospital negatively. This ultimately could contribute to the facility's performance, reputation and even government funding in the form of low HCAHPS scores.
So, a quality TV experience can help create a happier patient, which will not only lead to higher satisfaction scores but also frees up caregivers to focus on more urgent requests.
Quality assurance and cost efficiency is key
In the past, due to limits in technology and high associated costs, having optimal television service in hospitals was considered an unnecessary, indulgent expense. However, upgrading to a robust, digital cable offering offers similar monthly costs.
In addition, new technologies, such as a compact cable box that attaches to the back of the TV, eliminate many overhead costs, like the energy associated with a separate air conditioning unit to keep equipment from overheating. In turn, hospitals are receiving a much more reliable and advanced system requiring less upkeep and general maintenance by the IT staff and reaping operational benefits from making this switch.
Give patients what they expect
New technology is making it possible to create an improved television experience to patients and enabling hospitals to do so in a very accessible and affordable way. To bring the at-home experience to patients, hospitals should consider ways their accommodations can offer the same residential amenities their patients are accustomed to. Your patients will notice, and your satisfaction scores will likely see an increase.
More Articles on Patient Satisfaction:
Patients Report Higher Satisfaction with In-Person Interpreter than Phone Interpreter in ED
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Patient Satisfaction Increases When Patients Involved in Decision Making