Hospital Practices and Research

Abstract Background: The process of discharge is one of the important factors related to patient satisfaction. As the final step in the hospital experience, the discharge process is likely to be well remembered by the patient. Even if everything else goes satisfactorily, a slow, frustrating discharge process can result in low patient satisfaction.
Objectives: The present study was carried out with the aim to reduce the time taken in the discharge process. The objectives were to find the average duration in the process of discharge in major clinical wards and to find key steps affecting the duration of discharge.
Methods: A mixed methodology observational study involving Google forms for recording observations and focus group discussions of key stakeholders were used to carry out this study.
Results: The mean duration of discharge process was 372 minutes with the standard deviation of 68.5. The mean time of 248 minutes with a SD of 43.3 was taken for preparation of discharge summary. The mean time of completing files was 164 minutes with a SD of 37.
Conclusion: The biggest bottleneck in the process of discharge was the preparation of discharge summary, followed by the clearance of files from various departments. The common found reasons were overburdened junior residents, lack of planning of discharge, untrained nursing staff, incomplete documentation, patient counseling, lack of manpower, and lack of coordination among nursing staff and junior residents. It is recommended to plan the discharge better and hold regular workplace meetings of junior residents, nursing staff, billing department, and medical superintendent to manage the communication gaps and better coordination.

Abstract Background: Assessing patient satisfaction with care is crucial for healthcare quality improvement. However, little is known about patient satisfaction with care in adolescent-friendly health facilities in Ghana.
Objectives: This study aimed to assess patient satisfaction with quality of healthcare in adolescent-friendly health facilities.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted of four adolescent-friendly health facilities in Tema, Ghana. In all, 386 adolescent clients/patients were recruited using the convenience sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was administered to respondents, and data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 22.0.
Results: It was found that the majority (62%) of respondents were satisfied with the quality of care in adolescent-friendly health facilities. It was also found that overall satisfaction with quality of care was significantly influenced by the availability of health information materials (AOR = 4.99; 95% CI: 1.90-3.96) and positive provider attitudes (AOR = 25.76; 95% CI: 8.01-109.78).
Conclusion: This study demonstrated that most adolescents were satisfied with the quality of care in adolescent-friendly health facilities. This is one of the few studies that have assessed adolescent satisfaction with the quality of care in Ghana. Stakeholders can leverage these findings to improve the quality of adolescent health services.

Abstract Background: Foodservice is an important issue in hospital settings, and patients’ levels of satisfaction are often indicated by consumption and plate waste.
Objective: The current study compared patient satisfaction in hospital areas and other factors and determined the relationship between patient satisfaction and plate waste.
Methods: This quantitative research was performed in four East Malaysian public hospitals. Patients at these hospitals were asked to complete a questionnaire which had three parts: A) general information, B) patient satisfaction questionnaire (Acute Care Hospital Foodservice Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire), and C) plate waste scale (Comstock 6-point scale).
Results: A total of 189 patients participated. The results indicated that overall, 53.3%, 29.3%, 14.1%, 2.7%, and 0.5% of respondents rated the hospital foodservice as okay, good, poor, very good, and very poor, respectively. Average plate waste was 35% for all hospitals, and only 11% of patients finished all the food served. Satisfaction with hospital food differed according to the catering system (in-house and outsourced). However, the results also indicated that satisfaction with hospital foodservice was not significantly related to food wastage (r=-0.018, n=189, P=0.809).
Conclusion: Various factors in hospital foodservice, especially food quality, should be improved to motivate patients to consume hospital food.

Abstract Background: The implementation of patient education within a hospital is a difficult task that plays a key role in improving and controlling diseases and providing quality healthcare services.
Objective: The current study evaluated the effect of patient education on the quality of nursing care and inpatient satisfaction in surgical wards of selected hospitals in Isfahan, Iran.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2014. The sample group consisted of 64 patients admitted to the surgical wards of select hospitals in Isfahan and selected using the voluntary sampling method. Participants were randomly divided into experimental (n=32) and control (n=32) groups. A patient education program was implemented for each subject in the experimental group (during hospitalization and after discharge), but no intervention was conducted for the control group. Data was collected from both groups before and after the educational intervention using the standard questionnaire SERVQUAL to measure expectations (with a reliability of 87%), perceptions (with a reliability of 85%), and inpatient satisfaction (with a reliability of 83%). Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariate analysis of covariance, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Chi-square, and t-tests in SPSS software (ver. 20).
Results: The results of covariance analysis showed that the patient education program significantly increased the mean scores of the quality of nursing services and inpatient satisfaction in the experimental group compared with the control group (p<0.01).
Conclusion: A patient education program is an important pillar for improving public health. It is also a low-cost intervention to increase a patient's hope in living a good quality life.