CLIMB 2023: Using Patient Feedback as a Catalyst for Change

Speaker: Jennifer Davenport, MSM, RTR, Process Improvement Manager at Massachusetts General Hospital

In healthcare, we are always balancing how to maintain efficiency, operate at the highest level of throughput, and maintain safety among our patients and staff. With all of this to focus on, it is possible to lose sight of the fundamental voice of the patient.

The importance of patient feedback is often underestimated. Largely dependent on the timeliness of the feedback, it can be one of the most effective ways to increase quality and safety of the care we provide while at the same time improving the patient experience. The patient feedback that we receive from the weekly patient surveys has been a way for us to take a closer look at the operational challenges we face and make much needed changes. It has been the catalyst for change in the operational areas. Change as we know can be met with resistance. The changes and improvements that have been suggested, those derived from the patient’s perspective have been met with much less resistance and therefore have been easier to implement.

Learning Objectives: 

• Identify the benefits of patient feedback as a driver for process improvement.
• Understand the elements of an effective “Patient Feedback Focused Improvement program”
• Discuss workflow enhancements to increase quality, safety, and the patient experience