Case Studies
Improving the Patient Experience Through the Hospital Physical Environment
Creating a quieter hospital environment can help the healing process and improve the patient experience. After St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, Wis., made changes to reduce noise in its ED, “would you recommend” responses on patient surveys dramatically increased. Staff had complained about noise in the ED and noted that patients in exam rooms could hear conversations at the nurse stations and vice versa. Patient studies confirmed the concerns about privacy and confidentially. St. Elizabeth Hospital renovated its ED, testing several combinations of sound-reducing materials for walls, ceilings and floors. Ultimately, the hospital installed ceiling tiles with a noise reduction coefficient of 0.70, and changed from carpet to vinyl flooring. Walls were extended up to the ceiling and sound-boxed at the top and bottom. Walls joining exam rooms were constructed to achieve a sound transfer coefficient rating of 47. Seals on glass exam room doors also were improved, and integrated blinds were added to increase visual privacy. As a result of these and other changes, patient surveys before and after the ED improvements showed an increase in the “would you recommend” category from the 55th to 90th percentile.
Creating a quieter hospital environment can help the healing process and improve the patient experience. After St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, Wis., made changes to reduce noise in its ED, “would you recommend” responses on patient surveys dramatically increased. Staff had complained about noise in the ED and noted that patients in exam rooms could hear conversations at the nurse stations and vice versa. Patient studies confirmed the concerns about privacy and confidentially. St. Elizabeth Hospital renovated its ED, testing several combinations of sound-reducing materials for walls, ceilings and floors. Ultimately, the hospital installed ceiling tiles with a noise reduction coefficient of 0.70, and changed from carpet to vinyl flooring. Walls were extended up to the ceiling and sound-boxed at the top and bottom. Walls joining exam rooms were constructed to achieve a sound transfer coefficient rating of 47. Seals on glass exam room doors also were improved, and integrated blinds were added to increase visual privacy. As a result of these and other changes, patient surveys before and after the ED improvements showed an increase in the “would you recommend” category from the 55th to 90th percentile.
For more information, contact Gary Kusnierz, vice president, performance excellence, at gary.kusnierz@ministryhealth.org.
A case study about this initiative at St. Elizabeth Hospital is in the HPOE guide “Improving the Patient Experience Through the Health Care Physical Environment.' The guide features a hospital leader checklist; “people, process, place” model; and case studies on this topic, including addressing noise, pain management, and communication and supporting staff.