Are you my doctor? Utilizing personalized provider cards to improve patient/doctor connections

Abstract

In the setting of large, multidisciplinary medical care teams, it can be difficult for patients and families to identify their primary providers in the inpatient hospital setting. A review of our institutional patient satisfaction scores reflected a low rating with respect to families identifying their provider. We sought to improve patient and family connections with front line providers using personalized provider cards. We developed trading cards with pictures and biographies of the doctors on each card as well as an explanation of provider roles. The cards were piloted on a single inpatient unit without trainees. We had great provider engagement with use of the cards. We saw short term and longer-term improvement in specific patient satisfaction metrics after implementation. This pilot supports expansion of these cards into other areas of the hospital to improve patient satisfaction. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Patient, Family & Community Engagement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework. (http://bit.ly/ExperienceFramework) Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this lens.

Keywords

• patient satisfaction
• communication
• patient experience
• pediatrics