Examples

Patient focus co-ordinator for the ward

In a thoracic ward, one nurse is the patient focus co-ordinator and steers all the ward's patient-friendly initiatives. She is planning to install a comments box and will ensure that comments are considered and that action taken is fed back to patients and staff.

Information for patients based on patients' questions

Whilst patients are in hospital, they all have a contact card for the clinical nurse specialist for thoracic surgery so they can ring her if there are any problems when they get home. She is also piloting a leaflet, based on patients' questions, including information about preparing for temporary and permanent changes to their lifestyle, analgesia and wound care. Knowing how stressful patients find the waiting for results, she has worked with the histopathologists to reduce unnecessary delays.

Improving the patient experience in an imaging department

Staff were aware that reducing anxiety in patients produced easier examinations and was less stressful for staff. One of the helpers took the opportunity to talk to children, who had been very distressed before examination, once it was all over. She discovered that they were frightened of entering a dark room. The lights were kept dim to save staff time, but dimming the lights after children came in saved even more time, because nervousness was reduced, and made everyone's life better. Staff also realised that this change was likely to be beneficial for many, for example, the elderly, if not all, patients.

Telephone consultations

The nurse consultant in cardiac care is available for telephone consultations: she uses a pre-planned script so that information is given in a systematic way.

Web-based information for patients at the bedside

Staff in a thoracic ward are drawing up a list of reputable internet sites to give patients. If patients want information while they are in hospital, ward staff will search the internet on their behalf and give them printouts.

Using patients' experience to help other patients: plans for a “buddying” scheme

“Patients have been through the investigations and operations. They know what it's really like, and what other patients want to know.”

A thoracic nurse and her colleagues are thinking about how patients' experience could help other patients. They are considering creating a list of patients who would be able to talk to other patients about their experience of investigations and treatment.

See also http://www.4ps.com/pfa2/evidence/examples/patientsexperienceexamples.html

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