Patient Rounding for a Positive Radiology Experience

At the end of each work day, I round on two-three inpatients who have been touched by the radiology department. I must say, this is one of the most enjoyable tasks of my day, to engage in a discussion with patients about the quality of the imaging services they received. Asking patients about their experience during a hospital stay drives higher levels of patient satisfaction and helps keep a pulse on the what the patients like and dislike. However, it is important to note that identifying patient issues and failing to resolve the issues makes patients more dissatisfied than they were before being asked. 

When I round on inpatients, I have five questions that I ask:

1. Was our radiologic technologist always kind and courteous?

2. Did the radiologic technologist explain the procedure to you?

3. We value your time, was your procedure done in a timely manner?

4. Did the radiologic technologist make you feel comfortable during the procedure?

5. Would you recommend this facility to family and friends?

I then finalize my rounding with “is there anything we could have done better?” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_crop","fid":"45558","attributes":{"alt":"patient-centered radiology","class":"media-image media-image-right","id":"media_crop_4495302013585","media_crop_h":"0","media_crop_image_style":"-1","media_crop_instance":"5218","media_crop_rotate":"0","media_crop_scale_h":"0","media_crop_scale_w":"0","media_crop_w":"0","media_crop_x":"0","media_crop_y":"0","style":"height: 200px; width: 200px; border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; margin: 1px; float: right;","title":"©Aha-Soft/Shutterstock.com","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]

It is amazing the response I get when doing my rounding! Patients are typically surprised but grateful that I stopped by to visit with them and ask about their patient experience. I get responses like “thank you for stopping by” or “I have been at other hospitals and they did not do this.” Patients who are in the health care field or have visitors in the room who are in the health care field are very appreciative of this practice. One cannot overestimate the value of personal attention! In addition, I take this opportunity to manage up the staff and physicians who are working on the unit I am rounding on.

Patients’ expectations of timely and convenient service can make a big difference in patient satisfaction, even inside the hospital. Creating a positive patient experience can help build loyalty to your facility and impact HCAP scores.

I have found the practice of patient rounding to be extremely gratifying and suggest you give it a try.