Date of Award
Spring 2020
Document Type
DNP Project
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Department
Nursing
Committee Chairperson
Cheryl Monturo, PhD, MBE, ACNP-BC
Committee Member
Jacquelyn Owens, DNP, CRNP
Committee Member
Cheryl, D. Schlamb, DNP, CRNP
Committee Member
Veronica Wilbur, Ph.D., APRN-FNP, CNE, FAANP
Abstract
In today’s current healthcare environment, there has been an extensive focus on patient satisfaction, and healthcare leaders struggle with the options of utilizing a registered nurse or a non-nurse when making outreach follow-up calls to recently discharged patients. Healthcare leaders find that designing, implementing and managing an efficient telephone outreach program can be challenging, however, this has become a necessary aspect of the patient continuum of care plan. Studies demonstrate that patient follow-up post-discharge increases patient satisfaction and their compliance with post-discharge instructions, thereby reducing readmission rates and emergency room visits (Meek, Williams, & Unterschuetz (2018). This quality improvement project assessed the impact of the nurse versus the non-nurse led telephone outreach to adult patients discharged from an acute care facility within six weeks. Using a quantitative design, a simple random sampling of 55 patients pre-project and 55 patients post-discharge who were discharged from an acute care facility was done. Nurse Case Managers in a managed care organization carried out the outreach calls to the patients. Key findings showed that nurse-led outreach calls increased patient satisfaction, however, the nurses will need to be well versed in the patient’s diagnosis, and to save cost, healthcare administrators may consider employing Licensed Practical Nurses who will be under the supervision of the Registered Nurse.
Recommended Citation
Adonri, Iyore, "Patient Satisfaction with Nurse Versus Non-Nurse Post-Discharge Outreach" (2020). West Chester University Doctoral Projects. 56.
https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/all_doctoral/56