Imagine yourself as a member of one of Texas Children’s patient families. You’re longing for someone to listen, wanting to make eye contact or needing help finding where to go the first time you visit our facilities – and that’s on top of worrying about the loved one whose illness or condition brought you there.
Now imagine the difference it would make for you to be heard, comforted and guided with compassion by your care team and other kind and considerate Texas Children’s employees.
Every member of our One Amazing Team has the opportunity to create this type of warm and welcoming environment for our patients and their families every day, contributing to the positive patient experience that is part of the latest People, Performance and Pre-eminence (P³) incentive plan goals.
“At Texas Children’s, how our patients and families experience care with us is central to establishing and continuing a healing relationship with them,” said Katie Kalenda Daggett, Director of Patient and Family Services. “Our commitment to that relationship and to patient-centered care is why patient experience is one of our organizational priorities.”
Why patient experience matters
Families often choose Texas Children’s because they know our global reputation for excellence in pediatric and women’s medical care.
What they don’t always know is whether that care will be part of an engaging and satisfying patient experience, defined by the Beryl Institute as “the sum of all interactions, shaped by an organization’s culture, that influence patient perceptions across the continuum of care.”
Texas Children’s standard for patient experience calls for every interaction to be safe, personalized, present and compassionate.
“Caring for others is the reason many of our team members chose health care as a profession,” said Kalenda Daggett. “Providing a great patient experience is the right thing to do for our patients and their families.”
Studies show that patients who are more engaged in their health care have better clinical outcomes, and engaged team members also report higher levels of job satisfaction and lower levels of burnout and compassion fatigue.
‘We can all make a difference’
Through feedback on surveys and personal interactions with our Patient Experience team, patients and families have shared that one of the most important factors that affect how they feel about Texas Children’s is how well our team members work together to provide coordinated care.
“The staff was friendly and respectful to each other,” said one survey respondent. “They communicated with each other and supported each other. It gave me confidence in their ability to care for my kids.”
Every role counts – from managing the correct Epic templates for documentation to maintaining our website, scheduling appointments, screening visitors, completing registration, cleaning facilities and providing accurate billing. Even stopping to help someone lost in the hallway makes a difference.
“Doctors, nurses, support teams, administrative personnel – we can all make a difference in our patient’s lives,” said Elisa Mozley, Assistant Director of Patient and Family Services. “If something you did has the potential to make some part of a patient’s journey easier, more comfortable or brighter, you’ve done your part well.”
Jessi Carcamo, ambulatory services representative at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, is a shining example.
“Creating magic for everyone is a passion of mine. I have always found a great sense of gratification to know that I was able to help someone in any way possible, no matter how big or small,” said Carcamo. “Every morning no matter how I may feel I make an effort to make someone smile, a simple smile can turn your whole world around. Seeing someone smile and have just a little better of a day brings me the warm fuzzy feels.”
How you can help
Everyone at Texas Children’s can support patient experience. Here’s how:
- Practice and promote safety, from washing your hands to cybersecurity.
- Personalize the patient’s experiences by calling people by name, making connections and building rapport.
- Be present by making eye contact, removing headphones or earbuds and being alert when walking the halls to pick up trash, help people that are lost and anticipate needs.
- Be compassionate by taking your time with each interaction, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and communicating understanding and support.
- Watch the video “Patient experience: What’s it like in their shoes?“ featuring our President and CEO Mark A. Wallace and think about his question: “What small thing can we do today and every day to provide outstanding patient care and superb patient services for our families?”
- Visit the Patient Experience Resource Center for tactics and best practices for delivering safe, personalized, present, and compassionate care experiences for our patients and families, and for recognizing and praising our Texas Children’s colleagues.
