Nevco News
November 2008
Volume 1, Issue 5
Addressing the Emotional Needs of Your Patient
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Often times we, as healthcare professionals, are so focused on
caring for patient's physical needs, whether it be disease
conditions, or medication needs, that a patient's emotional
state can take a backseat in their plan of care. However, A
recent study found that "standard, empathic communication
behaviors and simple caring behaviors improve patient
satisfaction and perceptions of quality while decreasing
emotional distress. Patients consider their emotional sense of
well-being an outcome of quality nursing care and expect nurses
to make them feel 'better,' 'more comfortable,' 'more at ease,'
'more positive,' and so on." These findings may not be new, but they speak to what a patient's true needs are. The "staff's ability to address patients' emotional and spiritual needs factors into patients' perceptions of the overall experience of care, the provider, and the organization. For example, as Shelton observed: 'Patients need to feel that their circumstances and feelings are appreciated and understood by the health care team member without criticism or judgment . . . . If patients feel that the attention |
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they receive is genuinely caring and tailored to meet their
needs, it is far more likely that they will develop trust and
confidence in the organization.'" This not only bodes well for patients and caregivers, but for your company as a whole. "Data analysis revealed a strong relationship between the 'degree to which staff addressed emotional/spiritual needs' and overall patient satisfaction. Three measures most highly correlated with this measure of emotional/spiritual care were (1) staff response to concerns/ |
complaints, (2) staff effort to include patients in decisions
about treatment, and (3) staff sensitivity to the inconvenience
that health problems and hospitalization can cause." Developing a good bedside manner is proving to be an integral part of patient care. To learn how to prefect this skill, consider viewing our newest NEVCO program, "Emotional Needs of the Resident." To view the entire article please visit: http://www.pressganey.com/ |
