Are your clients annoyed?
It's probably hard to believe there's anything about your practice that irritates your clients that you don't already know about. But consider this recently discovered problem at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. It started with a survey that hospital administrators gave to patients when they were sent home from the hospital.
It's probably hard to believe there's anything about your practice that irritates your clients that you don't already know about. But consider this recently discovered problem at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. It started with a survey that hospital administrators gave to patients when they were sent home from the hospital.
The survey asked about a range of topics, from doctors to food to housekeeping. Of all those things, the patients' number one complaint turned out to be the high level of noise in the hospital. Management had completely overlooked—or underestimated—the impact of the cacophony of beeping monitors, ringing telephones, squeaky medication and meal carts, blaring intercoms, loud TVs, and late-night conversations among staff members in the halls. To combat the problem, Elodia Mercier, RN, the administrative nurse manager on Montefiore's fifth floor, initiated a noise reduction program called Silent Hospitals Help Healing (SHHH). The walls along the floor of her unit are filled with "SHHH" signs and workers wear buttons that show a nurse with her finger to her lips.
As a result, overall decibel levels fell significantly. On Mercier's unit, noise levels had been as high as 90 decibels, comparable to that of a busy street. Today, the fifth floor maintains decibel levels of about 65, on par with a typical library. The effects have been remarkable, says Mercier. "Within two weeks, patients said they were sleeping better, and staff members told us they were less stressed," she says.
Lesson learned
In the day-to-day rush of seeing clients and patients, it's easy to lose track of the little things. Periodic feedback from clients is essential. Brief client surveys, focus groups, and follow-up phone calls to selected clients will help you assess their satisfaction.
Bob Levoy
Food for thought: Might there be a similar complaint in your practice that you could solve with a few simple changes in work habits?
Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member Bob Levoy is a speaker and writer based in Roslyn, N.Y. His newest book is 222 Secrets of Hiring, Managing and Retaining Great Employees in Healthcare Practices (Jones and Bartlett, 2007).
