Studies show that the empathetic treatment of patients can lead to:
- Faster patient healing
- Improved adherence to medications
- Reduced malpractice cases
- More positive patient outlook
- Higher patient rating of overall hospital stay.
Research indicates that physicians showing empathy receive higher approval ratings from patients than doctors who do not. Yet often overlooked is the significant impact environmental services (EVS) for hospitals (previously referred to as hospital housekeeping) can have on patient satisfaction and HCAHPS scores. On average, hospital EVS technicians spend more time in patients’ rooms than doctors or nurses. Often, patients find EVS technicians more approachable than medical staff and are more likely to share fears and concerns about being in the hospital with them.
Patients First Program
To support the vital role that EVS workers play in patient care and satisfaction, Servicon developed Patients First. This training and coaching program makes sure patient services are front and center of all we do. The program includes:
- The Why & How of Patient Empathy & Communication
- A Train the Trainer Handbook providing strategies and techniques for supervisors to refine and refresh EVS technician-patient interactions
- One-on-one Patients First coaching
- Internal recognition and reinforcement of outstanding performance
- Discovery sessions that review HCAHPS scores relative to our self-assessments.
Advantages
Some of the rewards reaped from our Patients First program include:
- Better trained hospital EVS at all levels
- Essential understanding by EVS hospital team members of the critical role they play in saving people’s lives
- Enhanced patient empathy
- Improved staff morale and engagement
- Superior EVS technician loyalty and retention rates
- Increased internal EVS promotions.
Reaping the Benefits
Servicon’s Patients First program has significant benefits for our healthcare clients, including:
- Improved patient engagement in the healing process
- Better throughput rates based on faster healing
- Increased patient satisfaction
- Higher HCAHPS scores
- Impressive Net Performance Scores (NPS)
- Superior EVS management and teams that allow our healthcare clients to focus on their top priority—saving lives.
