Effects of Patient Satisfaction Score on Healthcare
The essence of this discussion is to describe the strategy adopted in searching for an evidence-based study. The literature review is an important aspect of a research of any kind as it provides information on what other researchers have done in line with the topic that one is conducting. As such is an element essential for fixing the jig-saw puzzle posed by the gap noted by the study (Fink, 2013). Central to a good literature review is the search strategies that one uses when looking for the evidence relating to the research topic.
In my case, the search began with the formulation of the PICOT question that would guide my search for relevant sources that relates to the main issue of this research topic (effect of patient satisfaction scores on health care). A PICOT question is the primary tool that summarizes the pollution, intervention, comparison, outcomes and timeframe (Echevarria, & Walker, 2014). The PICOT question formulated (As medical practitioners (P) what are the positive and negative outcomes of HCAP scores on reimbursement and cost (I) because of patient satisfaction surveys (C) increase or decrease in hospital improvements (O) over the past 8 years (T)) was for the purpose of establishing the evidence from literature.
With an already formulated PICOT question, the next step was to determine the best level of evidence that appropriately captures this issue. Melnyk and Fineout-Overhold (2015) came up with their evidence table that showed the level of proof. According to them, the systematic review is in the highest rank due to having the best evidence while the opinion of authorities and expert committees is the lowest of all types of evidence. Since this study does not involve an intervention to the participants, the evidence table starts from the level of systematic review of both qualitative and descriptive studies type of proof used.
A selection of the databases to establish the studies done on this subject followed up. The conventional databases include but not limited to the COCHRANE Library, EBSCOHOST/ Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Clinical Practice Guidelines and PubMed (DiCenso, Guyatt, & Ciliska, 2014). The databases chosen for the search comprise of COCHRANE Library, EBSCOHOST/ Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and PubMed. They were the primary databases that facilitated the generation of credible sources of evidence. The databases assisted in searching the keywords from the formulated PICOT question (outcomes of patient satisfaction scores, health care cost, and reimbursement).
Finally, concerning the limitation of the evidence to current studies, the search added a requirement that the generated results of articles would fall within the last eight years. According to Polit, and Beck, (2013), ensuring the evidence obtained is from recently done studies is a basic requirement for a credible literature review.
That said, the identification of the relevant studies was inevitable after going through all these steps. The appraisal of the studies obtained was the next cause of action to enhance choosing valid and credible articles.
Rapid Critical Appraisal of Evidence
Grove, Burns, and Gray, (2012) are of the opinion that a rapid critical appraisal of the evidence obtained from a literature search is an important process in establishing credible sources. That is the case since it looks into the validity, reliability, and applicability of the identified study (Levin,& Feldman, 2012). That said, on this account, rapid critical appraisal the studies identified was inevitable. The appraised studies are tabulated below.
| Criteria/ Study | Validity | Reliability | Applicability |
| Stanowski, A. C., Simpson, K., & White, A. (2015). Pay for Performance: Are Hospitals Becoming More Efficient in Improving Their Patient Experience?. Journal Of Healthcare Management / American College Of Healthcare Executives, 60(4), 268-285. | The results of this study fail to meet the criterion of validity due to its biases. However, the researcher describes the search strategy involved in determining the studies used in the review.
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The reliability of the findings is also in question given that the reports used by hospitals are not uniformly audited. Such a failure impairs the reliability.
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Despite the study’s limitations, the findings from this study have an important implication for the clinical practice since it inspires individual hospitals to strengthen their performance by improving the quality of care to the patients. |
| Elliott, M. N., Beckett, M. K., Lehrman, W. G., Cleary, P., Cohea, C. W., Giordano, L. A., & … Damberg, C. L. (2016). Understanding The Role Played By Medicare’s Patient Experience Points System In Hospital Reimbursement. Health Affairs, 35(9), 1673-1680. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2015.0691 | Reviewed and analyzed hospital data were comprehensively explained. | The results are precise since the study maintained an equal level of significance (p˂0.05) across all hospitals
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The implication drawn from this study is that there is need to strengthen the scoring system since it has significantly improved the quality of care provided in many hospitals through reduction of the undesired effects. |
References
DiCenso, A., Guyatt, G., & Ciliska, D. (2014). Evidence-based nursing: A guide to clinical practice. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Echevarria, I. M., & Walker, S. (2014). To make your case, start with a PICOT question. Nursing2015, 44(2), 18-19.
Elliott, M. N., Beckett, M. K., Lehrman, W. G., Cleary, P., Cohea, C. W., Giordano, L. A., & … Damberg, C. L. (2016). Understanding The Role Played By Medicare’s Patient Experience Points System In Hospital Reimbursement. Health Affairs, 35(9), 1673-1680. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2015.0691
Fink, A. (2013). Conducting research literature reviews: from the Internet to paper. Sage Publications.
Grove, S. K., Burns, N., & Gray, J. (2012). The practice of nursing research: Appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Levin, R. F., & Feldman, H. R. (2012). Teaching evidence-based practice in nursing. Springer Publishing Company.
Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2015). Evidence-based practice in nursing and healthcare: A guide to best practice. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams et Wilkins
Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2013). Essentials of nursing research: Appraising evidence for nursing practice. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Stanowski, A. C., Simpson, K., & White, A. (2015). Pay for Performance: Are Hospitals Becoming More Efficient in Improving Their Patient Experience?. Journal Of Healthcare Management / American College Of Healthcare Executives, 60(4), 268-285.
