Emergency Departments across the system saw a decrease in patient experience survey scores when Intermountain instituted strict visitor guidelines in March in response to COVID-19. When we reinstituted the stricter guidelines again recently, the ED team at Heber Valley Hospital wanted to find a better way to improve the experience by keeping patients’ loved ones involved.
Mardee Jones, RN, suggested that the ED team obtain the patient’s loved one’s phone number as part of the intake process and set a standard to call the loved one at standard times during the ED stay — such as at triage, when test result are received, and when reviewing discharge instructions. The team liked the idea and implemented the new standard with great results.
Mardee Jones, RN, came up with a process to keep patients' families involved despite visitor restrictions.
Nicole Davis, RN, Heber’s ED manager, shared Mardee’s idea a few days later during a meeting of Intermountain’s ED/Trauma Operating Lane. The other ED managers in the meeting thought it was a brilliant idea and wondered if the process could be adopted as a systemwide standard. Rachelle Rhodes, RN, executive director for the operating lane, worked with Shelly Wood from clinical education to develop an infographic that explains the process. Then Rachelle sent the process out all Intermountain ED managers and asked them to implement it everywhere.
In an ED leadership meeting a few weeks later, Rachelle asked the attendees if they’d started using the process and what reactions they’d seen so far.
“Brett Nance, DO, from the Bear River ED said the infographic signs were in front of each nurse station in his ED and he was personally using the process,” Rachelle says. “He shared three examples where using the process ‘saved’ the experience for the patient’s family. In all three situations, the family was less than happy that they couldn’t be with their loved one, but in all three situations — because there was early and open communication — the family calmed down and became very confident that we were rendering great care.”
The infographic based on Mardee's idea.
Rachelle adds, “I think this is a great example of how working as One has helped us quickly improve patient care throughout Intermountain. Kudos to Mardee for coming up with such a great idea and thanks to everyone for implementing it.”