Reflections on Patient Experience Week

By Stacy Palmer

Last week we celebrated the first annual Patient Experience Week, providing a focused time for organizations to recognize accomplishments, reenergize efforts and honor the people who impact patient experience everyday. From nurses and physicians, to support staff and executive professionals, to patients, families and communities served, the Institute brought together healthcare organizations across the globe.

Proclaiming a new week to observe is a little scary, especially in healthcare where we were warned that many organizations suffer from ‘Week Fatigue,’ but we were delighted by the excitement, participation and support from the community.

We believe that by being a part of Patient Experience Week, healthcare organizations showed employees they appreciate their hard work and encourage their continued efforts on behalf of patients. This week was meant to enhance patient and staff relations, increase hospital morale and improve overall communication, and that’s exactly what we watched it do.

From the social media buzz to our constant phone calls and emails from excited participants, we had the privilege of watching PX Week move from a mere idea to a true success exemplifying the strength of the global patient experience movement. And for a small, mission-driven organization like the Institute, the power in those five days was substantial. We were excited by every idea, photo, video and email that came in. As we work daily to be a community of practice for professionals passionate about improving patient experience, we believe last week exemplified our heart, soul and mission.

Dozens of #IMPX photos were sent in from individuals and teams, representing medical practices, hospitals and vendors (click on the image above to zoom in and see some of the faces in the #IMPX mural). Several healthcare facilities added their videos to the #IMPX video library, organizations issued press releases to educate their communities about their patient experience efforts, and flyers, thank you cards, screen savers and even placemats reinforced the importance of the patient experience movement to those delivering care each day.

Hundreds of organizations participated in PX Week webinars where industry leaders discussed the current and future states of patient experience.  In addition to sharing ideas from the community and offering expert perspectives, we were excited to make several new announcements throughout the week: 

• PX Body of Knowledge – After two years of development, the first five courses in the PX Body of Knowledge were released, representing the community-developed foundation for effective patient experience leaders. Over 400 individuals from 10 countries contributed to this work.
• PX Journal – The inaugural issue of Patient Experience Journal (PXJ) was published, an international, multidisciplinary, open-access, peer-reviewed journal focused on understanding and improving patient experience.
• PX Learning Bites – We released the first in a series of patient experience learning bites – videos featuring industry leader’s insight about patient experience improvement in 2-3 minute segments.

All of these things represent the power of the patient experience movement – the advancement possible by the sharing of ideas, knowledge and practices and the community of professionals willing to contribute.

With this reflection on PX Week, we recognize and want to reinforce that the work to impact and improve patient experience is not something we just do in one moment, one week or one initiative.  The members of the Institute community and those in healthcare around the world committed to this effort are working tirelessly each and every day to ensure the best in patient experience. We acknowledge, encourage and remain steadfast in our support of these efforts.

As we anticipate the next Patient Experience Week, April 27 –May 1, 2015. We encourage you to mark your calendars and start planning your festivities now, but more importantly, we hope you will join us on the continued journey to create the best possible experiences for patients, their families and caregivers. 

Stacy Palmer
VP, Strategy and Member Experience
The Beryl Institute