October 1, 2012

Karin Irwin, RN, Preadmission Clinic, WCH, following up with a patient

Women’s College Hospital’s (WCH) high-quality care doesn’t end when our patients leave our doors. In fact, our surgical program reaches out to patients once they are recovering at home by calling them to ensure they are healing and recuperating well.

One to two days after their release from hospital, a patient will receive a friendly followup phone call from a surgical nurse who will ask them several questions about their physical health and their overall experience while they were at WCH.

Patients can discuss any concerns they have about pain or nausea, ask about medications and talk about their symptoms. The predetermined questions and conversation enable nurses to understand the entire surgical experience for the patient, so they can enhance and improve care.

“Since it is a health-care practitioner on the other end, if the patient describes a complication or an unusual symptom, the nurse can professionally advise them on whether to seek medical care or not,” says Nancy Groff, clinical manager, surgical program. “Telephone followups are an important component of care for ambulatory surgery patients.”

Answers are also recorded into a database system for future reference.

“The information that we gather from the followups is extremely helpful,” says Vicky Noguera, director, surgical services. “We are able to pull statistics and create reports that allow us to fully understand and ultimately enhance the patient experience.”

As part of the Quality Initiative Plan (QIP), phone call followup statistics are gathered and reviewed by the perioperative services quality assurance and the operating room committees to ensure that standardized goals are being met.

Although meeting and exceeding goals are priorities at WCH, there are additional benefits that arise from these phone calls.

“Often patients will express their appreciation and gratitude for the care they received while at WCH,” says Groff. “This reminds staff that the work they do, the high-quality care they provide, and the support they give, makes a difference.” 

For more information about WCH’s surgical program click here.