Rx For Good Health In The Community - Trinitas Hospital

page 14Discharge Envelopes HelpGauge Customer SatisfactionKnowing how to maintain, or when necessary, improve our level of customer service is a key element in the dailyactivities of Trinitas Hospital. To help us gauge the satisfaction of our patients and their families, a new discharge envelopeprinted in English and Spanish is now in circulation.The Customer Service Steering Committee co-chaired by Laurie Westra, Vice President of Quality Management, andGlenn Nacion, Vice President, Human Resources, has been reviewing ways to ensure that patients and their families viewtheir experience at Trinitas Hospital in a positive light“By designing these envelopes, we’ve given patients and their families a means to think abouttheir experience in our hospital,” explains Donna Cohen, nurse manager of the EmergencyDepartment, and member of the committee. Donna was instrumental in providing much of thewording on the envelope. The message on the envelope reviews the hospital’s goal of excellence inquality care and encourages patient responses to Press Ganey surveys mailed to patients following theirdischarge. The envelopes also serve as a convenient place for patients to file important instructionsand educational materials they receive upon discharge that are designed to improve follow-up care.“The envelopes are additional tools that show Trinitas Hospital is committed to the highestquality of care for each and every patient,” says Laurie, adding, “We believe we do an excellent job.We look to our patients to let us know when we are doing our best or when we’re not. Patients arebehind our success, and our improvement, as we strive to deliver quality healthcare.”Nurse manager of the Emergency Department Donna Cohen, RN, says the envelopes help encourage patientsto share their comments about their care at Trinitas Hospital.Traveling on theInformation HighwayA well-attended “Seniors First” seminar program helped computernovices learn more about “surfing the net,” thanks to the expertise andknowledge of co-presenters Don Caldwell, Manager of InformationSystems, and Elisabeth Jacobsen, Director of the Medical Library. Theseminar was a hands-on event in the computer training room at theWilliamson Street campus where participants received pointers on howto navigate on the World Wide Web.Signs Inform Patients andVisitors of Specialized ServicesAs part of its efforts to inform patients and their families aboutimportant services for the hearing-impaired and those who needinterpreters, the hospital recently installed 65 signs throughout itsfacilities. The signs in both English and Spanish explain that patientsand their families can have the assistance of either spoken language orsign language interpreters, free of charge, while in the hospital. HanaBaudendistel, RN (right), participated in a specially selected group ofhospital professionals from throughout the state. The group workedclosely with an oversight committee of the New Jersey HospitalAssociation and the New Jersey Attorney General’s office to promotehospital compliance with state regulations regarding these types ofcommunication services. The committee worked for 18 months todevelop the recommendations about sign language and interpreterservices that are in use in New Jersey hospitals.