HCAHPS Improvement Program

References

References

Clark, R. C., and Mayer, R. E. (2011). E-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven

      Guidelines for Consumer and Designer of Multimedia Learning (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA:

      Pfeiffer.

Studer, Q. (2003). Hardwiring Excellence. Gulf Breeze, FL: Fire Starter Publishing.

Studer, Q., Robinson, B., & Cook, K. (2010). The HCAHPS Handbook.  Gulf Breeze, FL: Fire Starter

      Publishing.

The Joint Commission. (2012). The Joint Commission: Quality Report. Retrieved February 20, 2012,

      from QualityCheck.org: http://www.qualitycheck.org/qualityreport.aspx?hcoid=6178

Incorporating Simulations and Games into IPS

     Opportunities to incorporate simulations and games into this lesson abound.  The environmental services staff currently engages in active scripting to perform their tasks.  The addition of role playing poses a comfortable occasion to enhance existing skills and build new bridges to success.
 Slide number seven provides a brief glimpse into how role playing may emerge and demonstrates how each slide may follow its lead.  The task remains simple and should not become encumbered by a complicated simulation game.  Role playing and interactive communication between the learners provides a realistic and positive outlet for housekeepers to combine experience, attained knowledge, and personality.  Lighthearted collaboration encouraged by the design team or facilitator moves the lesson to another level.

     By thinking out of the box, there exists on chance to incorporate a simulation game into the program.  Slide number 11 addresses the topic of “staging.”  In other words, staging refers to aligning the room after cleaning to demonstrate organization.  The lesson could include a simulation game which housekeeping associates would move virtual objects around the screen to their proper positions.  This hands-on computer simulation game blends real-life objects with animated scenarios.

     Third-party providers feed HCAHPS statistics to housekeeping management on a weekly basis.  Although the swings on a weekly basis are too dramatic to incorporate into a game, monthly statistic totals could possible serve as the foundation for an inter-unit competition.  Various sections of the hospital compete against each other for superiority—or greatest improvement.  Online tracking and synchronous reporting makes this completion possible.

     Simulations and games do not play an essential role in the success of Improving Patient Satisfaction; however, they provide a chance to improve process retention and enhance housekeeper training.  The level of implementation depends upon the desire to create a second edition of the program.

Research-based Guidelines Incorporated into IPS

     Incorporated throughout the entire Improving Patient Satisfaction lesson are numerous research-based guidelines.  The self-paced lesson permits the learner to adjust to his or her own learning style.  The e-learning environment constructed by this modality enables the housekeeping staff to operate independently, within a group setting, synchronously, or asynchronously.

     The student or instructor retains a high level of navigational control, but with some limitations.  The material does not allow visual editing or a complete format change, but the user may stop and start as necessary.  This freedom enables learners and facilitators to interject personal experiences into the lesson, stress material extremely relevant to their own facility, and assist individuals who have not comprehended a specific message.

     The cornerstone of this lesson requires the practice of the steps introduced.  Within the design, learners encounter direct opportunities for practice and a guided teamwork project.  E-learning often incorporates a teamwork project to enhance the entire learning experience.  Improving Patient Satisfaction in its current form does not provide for a teamwork exercise in every slide, but the concept permits an addition at any point.

     Review segments serve an essential function in any coursework.  The use of a worked example as a learner review portion addresses two needs in one slide: reinforce previously encountered material and unite the entire lesson into one comprehensive package.  Step-by-step the housekeeper visualizes how each action results in a positive outcome.

     Research-based guidelines steer the design team toward approaches that work.  The storyboard clearly follows methods demonstrated to reach the learner.  One encounters navigational control, practice, and review within the 11 individual storyboards.  The construction of a blog site enables a final crucial element—feedback.  Information gathered from a blog can further improve the design and implementation.

E-learning Principles and Critical Thinking Elements

Clark and Mayer (2011) present the following principles in their text E-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven guidelines for Consumer and Designer of Multimedia Learning:  Multimedia, Contiguity, Modality, Redundancy, Coherence, Personalization, Segmenting, Pre-training, and Worked Examples.

Pre-training

            Improving Patient Satisfaction (IPS) is a course for current environmental employees with experience.  The lesson is not a basic cleaning course, nor an introduction.  IPS presents an opportunity to enhance quality and improve outcomes.

Segmentation

            Each lesson retains a compartmentalized design and executed individually.  Current corporate training uses the concept of “morning huddles” and this course fits specifically into that modality.  Instructors can sort the 11 lessons to match current events or needs.  Cleaners could critically analyze their current actions and the effect upon the patients.

Personalization

            The entire presentation focusses upon the actions of the individual.  From the first slide, the student realizes that each segment deals with personal accountability and self-improvement.  Contextually, the introduction places the entire lesson into focus for the participant.  He or she realizes that HCAHPS is not just a score, but a reflection of their individual daily efforts.

Multimedia

            Improving Patient Satisfaction incorporates sound, sight, action, and graphics.  This self-paced multimedia presentation reaches most learner types.  The accompanying photographs depict situations and the optional narration reinforces the written words.

Contiguity

            The placement of word near the objects appears often in this presentation.  In the very diverse housekeeping industry, images, and words vary among cultures and age groups.  The slides employ a very close relationship between pictures and language.

Redundancy

            Not only are words and graphics employed by the course, but also audio instructions interjected.  The lessons have repetitive messages but not overly redundant.  A solid final review ties the entire message together.

Coherence

            Simple and straightforward narration accompanies the slideshow.  There is no extraneous music or sound effects to distract the message.  The student or presenter has the option to disregard the narration or present the entire lesson through static slides.

Worked Examples

            The final review slide sums up the entire message.  Through the use of a worked example, the employee learns that the actions of the previous slides add to the product—improved patient satisfaction.

What is Improving Patient Satisfaction about?

     Improving Patient Satisfaction (IPS) blog presents an 11 part lesson for current environmental service employees engaged in work at a health care facility.  The students already completed training in their field and currently hold a cleaning position that interacts with the patient population.  A brief series of self-generated critiques follow the lesson.  These three critiques analyze e-learning principles, critical thinking skills, research-based guidelines, and the roles of simulations or games.