Communication, Collaboration and Connection

Brenda Keeton, Service Excellence Manager, Baylor Heart and Vascular Hospital
Annabelle Zakarian, MSN, RN, CVRN, Care Coordination/Health Care Improvement Team Leader, Baylor Heart and Vascular Hospital

A key ingredient in a successful patient experience is communication – to the patient, with the patient and for the patient. What may appear sufficient in the eyes of health care providers may, in reality, be lacking from the perspective of the patient and their family. At Baylor Heart and Vascular Hospital, when patient satisfaction reflected a lack of adequate communication for our day surgery patients and family members, the multi-disciplinary team took on a multi-faceted, creative communication strategy focused on keeping the patient better informed of the expectations for their procedure day journey. The outcome was a sustained 94.0 and higher mean score in patient satisfaction. This presentation will provide the cost-effective processes implemented leading to a successful outcome, as well as the challenges and lessons learned along the way. The success of the tools and processes have resulted in utilization and spread to other departments and patient populations. In addition, hospital facilities across the United States have inquired as to the tool and processes implemented that have led to sustained improvement.