duedee.com

SOUTH BEND, Ind., Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Among health care professionals, nurses are the least satisfied with their jobs according to a new Press Ganey Associates, Inc. report, which examines the perspectives of more than 200,000 employees and 45,000 nurses nationwide. The 2008 Employee and Nurse Check-Up Report: Employee and Nurse Perspectives on American Health Care Organizations cites the actions of senior leadership as a major influence of nurse loyalty and retention.

Nurses being the least satisfied employees is troubling for an American health care system struggling with a nursing shortage crisis, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Press Ganey's report includes the National Nurse Loyalty and Retention Opportunity Index, which shows nurses prioritize the following concerns:

  1) Senior leadership really listens to employees
  2) Senior leadership responds promptly to most problems
  3) Senior leadership can be trusted to be straightforward and honest
  4) This organization has enough staff to provide quality care
  5) Satisfied with level of involvement in decision making

"In light of concerns about maintaining adequate nursing staff, it is particularly important that senior leadership increase employee involvement to help re-build relationships and trust, and form true partnerships," said Debbie Paller, vice president of Physician and Employee Services at Press Ganey. "Not listening to or excluding them will lead to more frustration, and frustration leads to more vacancies."

The annual report presents employees' and nurses' greatest concerns with their organizations and identifies improvement opportunities. The report also found that employees report the lowest overall satisfaction with:

-- Compensation; salaries should match inflation
-- Participation; limited encouragement to share new thoughts or ideas
-- Recognition; hard work should be better rewarded


Solutions

According to the 2008 Employee and Nurse Check-Up Report, organizations can improve employees' perspectives and loyalty by creating a partnership between employees and administrators. Employees need to feel that they are contributing and valuable to the organization, therefore organizations should:

-- Implement regular communication between employees and leadership
-- Ask for suggestions or improvement for overall patient care and
employee needs
-- Grow relationships with staff at all levels

Organizations that take steps to partner with their employees can see not only increased employee retention, but also increased patient volumes and satisfaction, and healthier bottom lines. The health care industry is constantly changing, and greater changes are on the horizon, but there is incredible potential for organizations that partner with their employees.

The 2008 Employee and Nurse Check-Up Report: Employee and Nurse Perspectives on American Hospitals is available at http://www.pressganey.com/galleries/default-file/Employee_Nurse_Check-Up_10- 08-08.pdf. Debbie Paller is available for comment upon request.

Case Study

Lowell General Hospital (LGH) in Lowell, Massachusetts is a 200-bed, independent, not-for-profit community hospital serving Lowell and its surrounding communities. Located in the competitive New England market, LGH is always struggling for patients, employees, and physicians. In 1999, LGH learned the overall satisfaction and engagement of its employees ranked in the 14th percentile. Their employees wanted more participation, recognition, and supervision from senior management. They knew drastic improvements had to be made in order to provide a successful culture for its employees.

Determined to make a change, LGH launched a new plan to improve employee engagement and satisfaction. The new plan included:

-- A vision to make employees a priority
-- Increased staff involvement through a weekly internal newsletter
-- Intranet communication tool where employees are connected to senior
leadership
-- Employees in improvement initiatives to reward and recognize staff
members

These efforts led to a turnaround for LGH. Employee satisfaction increased from the 14th percentile in 1999 to the 58th percentile in 2007, and turnover decreased from the 30th percentile in 2002 to the 13th percentile in 2007. LGH now provides an environment where employees feel valued and appreciated, and will better serve physicians and patients.

Press Ganey Associates, Inc.

For more than 20 years, Press Ganey has been committed to providing insight that allows health care organizations to improve the quality of care they provide while improving their bottom-line results. The company offers the largest comparative customer feedback databases, actionable data, solution resources, and unparalleled consulting and customer service. Press Ganey currently partners with more than 7,000 health care facilities -- including over 40% of U.S. hospitals -- to measure and improve the quality of their care.