Clinicaphobia: How Identifying Patient Fears Can Improve CAHPS Scores
What if one simple question could change your patients' experiences? This is the secret Colleen Sweeney enthusiastically shares as she takes you on a journey through the thrills and frustrations she experienced as director of customer service while leading her hospital’s service excellence initiatives – and she’ll tell you about the random patient encounter that forever altered her improvement mindset.
Over a period of three years, Sweeney interviewed more than one thousand people about their greatest health care fears, forming the basis of the Patient Empathy ProjectSM. Her research led her to develop the Top 11 Patient Fears list and the concept of “clinicaphobia.” In addition to hearing about results, you’ll also see provocative artwork from the postcard project that accompanied the interviews.
With her research as a backdrop, you’ll learn about the Patient Experience Pyramid, a tool useful in improving your own patients’ experiences or those of staff in any department in your organization. You’ll hear about a childbirth unit that created a patient fear index and successfully incorporated its use into an electronic medical record as part of each patient’s care plan. You’ll walk away with numerous easy-to-implement (and fun!) ideas.
Sweeney’s talk ends with a surprising – and unforgettable – twist.
Colleen Sweeney conceived and conducted the Patient Empathy Project, a three-year research study. She discovered that 96% of all patients have serious fears about health care and coined the term clinicaphobiaSM to describe the phenomenon. At Memorial Hospital, South Bend, Ind., Sweeney also served as director at the School of Innovation, which realized a 3:1 return on investment by utilizing the collective genius of its employees. | | True Reflections: Inspiring Improvement
The demands of the average work day can lead to complacency and discontentment. At a time when health care professionals need motivation and inspiration more than ever, they are instead overwhelmed with government regulations and compliance paperwork. Personal disengagement is at its peak and it is easy to forget that the actions of just one person can positively impact the whole.
Martin Wright understands how important it is to find inspiration in the workplace. While working at a convention hotel in Boston, he developed a passion for customer service but felt there was something hollow in his pursuit. When he joined Press Ganey, Wright found that his dedication to exemplary customer service and the true calling of health care were a natural fit. Wright says, “I value every survey returned by patients as it gives us insight into how we can help caregivers improve the quality of care.”
Turning the mirror on his audience members, Wright challenges each of them to reconnect to the reasons they work in health care. This will be an opportunity to reflect on your level of engagement in your organization. You will connect with what inspires you, learn where you can find inspiration if it’s lacking, and hear how to inspire others in your work place. You will find new and exciting ways to motivate yourself and to make a difference.
Since joining Press Ganey in 2002, Wright has held various leadership positions. In his current role as manager of improvement services, he is responsible for managing all aspects of his consulting team, including hiring, coaching and staff development; project coordination; client services; and departmental planning. With a background in hospitality and hotel management, and many years of direct support of health care clients, Wright focuses his team on the unique needs and experiences of each customer to create long-lasting partnerships. |