Morristown (N.J.) Medical Center increased its HCAHPS scores after implementing a 24-hour visitation policy, according to a study in the Journal for Healthcare Quality.
In the first eight months of the open visitation policy, patient satisfaction scores increased, although there was no statistical signficance. Scores on a Press-Ganey survey question about staff attitude toward visitors increased from 88.7 before the policy to 89.6 after. Similarly, overall HCAHPS scores increased from 71.7 to 76. "Even though these results were not statistically significant, they reflect a trend in the data demonstrating positive attitudes toward visitation in the hospital," the authors wrote.
There was no increase in the number of complaints from patients or visitors. In fact, unit staff received fewer calls for patient updates. There was also no increase in the rate of security events.
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