Cleveland Clinic calls "Code Lavender" to improve patient satisfaction

From the WSJ:

How patients feel they were treated has always colored their opinions of a hospital. Now, those feelings are being factored into how hospitals get paid.

The Cleveland Clinic CEO, Dr. Cosgrove, says that in his own days as a top cardiac surgeon, he focused so intently on reducing complications from cardiac procedures that he gave little thought to the feelings or experiences of patients.

Times have changed dramatically since then. The Cleveland Clinic has launched a program known as HEART - for hear the concern, empathize, apologize, respond and thank—that empowers employees to handle patient concerns from the moment they arise.

It developed a Healing Services team to offer complimentary light massages, Reiki—a laying on of hands—aromatherapy, spiritual care from a clergy person or lay practitioner and other holistic services, and it will call a "Code Lavender" for patients or family members under stress who need immediate comfort.

Since 2008, the Cleveland Clinic's overall hospital ratings have increased by 89%.

"Code Lavender" has a Twitter account too (@CodeLavender), managed by the former Cleveland Clinic Chief Experience Officer who popularized the term.

From the Cleveland Clinic Twitter account: Efforts to improve patient satisfaction were featured in a NBC Nightly News story (see the video below).



References:

A Financial Incentive for Better Bedside Manner. WSJ.
Image source: Lavender Farm, Wikipedia, public domain.

Disclaimer: I was an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic from 2005 to 2008.

Comments from Twitter:

@TanyaPRpro (Tanya R. Walton): Clever and meaningful hospital care

@scottRcrawford: Brand medicine

@gruntdoc: How sad. Condolences. RT @DrVes: Cleveland Clinic calls "Code Lavender" to improve patient satisfaction goo.gl/X4Jtt

@MGastorf (Melissa Gastorf): concerns about satisfaction basis for payment- i.e. if you refuse to write narcotic and patient angry, physician payment suffers.

Reduced workload and increased participation of attendings associated with higher satisfaction of doctors in training

An experimental inpatient-medicine service was designed with reduced resident workload comprising two teams, with each team consisting of two attending physicians, two residents, and three interns.

Attending physicians, selected for their "teaching prowess", supervised the teams throughout the workday and during bedside team-teaching rounds.

This experimental model was compared with a control model comprising two teams, with each consisting of one resident and two interns, plus multiple supervising attending physicians who volunteered to participate.

Over a 12-month period, 1892 patients were assigned to the experimental teams and 2096 to the control teams; the average census per intern was 3.5 and 6.6 patients, respectively.

Overall satisfaction was significantly higher among trainees on the experimental teams than among those on the control teams (78% and 55%, respectively; P=0.002).

Interns on the experimental teams spent more time in learning and teaching activities than did interns on the control teams (learning: 20% of total time vs. 10%, P=0.01; teaching: 8% of total time vs. 2%, P=0.006).

A model with two attending physicians and limited patient-staff census resulted in greater satisfaction on the part of trainees and attending physicians than the standard approach.

Reduced trainee workload and increased participation of attending physicians was associated with higher trainee satisfaction and increased time for educational activities.

References:
Evaluation of a Redesign Initiative in an Internal-Medicine Residency Program. NEJM.

Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

86% of Australian doctors report high rates of job satisfaction - see why

More than 80% of Australian doctors are moderately or very satisfied with their jobs, a national survey has found.

The survey, of 10 498 doctors, 19% of those who were contacted and eligible, found that 86% were moderately or very satisfied with their jobs, with no significant differences between GPs, specialists, and specialists in training. Hospital non-specialists were less satisfied.

The predictors of high professional satisfaction included:

- a good support network

- a household with a high income

- patients with realistic expectations w
- being able to take time off

- being younger or close to retirement

- having good self reported health.

Female GPs earn an average 25% less than their male counterparts and that GPs on average earn 32% less than specialists. The average annual pretax personal earnings of GPs and specialists were $US 180 000 and $US 316 570, respectively.

With Australia in the throes of national health reform, the researchers said that their findings set an important baseline for examining the effects of policy changes on doctors’ job satisfaction.

The survey was conducted between June and November 2008, before the Australian government announced its national health reform agenda.

The survey findings were published in the 3 January edition of the Medical Journal of Australia.

Twitter comments:

@gastromom (Meenakshi Budhraja): What are comparative figures in the US - 80% of Australian doctors report high rates of job satisfaction http://goo.gl/mchQT”

@PMillerMD (Philip Miller): 80% of Australian doctors report high rates of job satisfaction. / What is it in US? And if lower, why? I suspect payment morass.

@cotterj1 80% of Australian doctors report high rates of job satisfaction http://goo.gl/mchQT -> Explains why half the HSE docs are gone!

@SeattleMamaDoc (WendySueSwanson MD): "A good support network" goes long way.

@docmuscles (Adam Nally, D.O.) This was before the health care reform (HCR).

References:

Australian doctors report high rates of job satisfaction. BMJ 2011; 342:d119 doi: 10.1136/bmj.d119 (Published 10 January 2011)

Australian doctors’ satisfaction with their work: results from the MABEL longitudinal survey of doctors. MJA 2011; 194 (1): 30-33.

Image source: Wikipedia, public domain.