Wellness Wednesday | Compassionate & Connected Care

On this special World Health Day edition of Wellness Wednesday, Sean Howell, Director of Customer Experience at Nashville General Hospital, joined the discussion to emphasize the importance of compassionate, connected care. This approach focuses on improving the patient experience by reducing suffering and ensuring care that is empathetic, coordinated, and respectful.

Key Takeaways:

1. Understanding Suffering: Patients face both inherent suffering (directly linked to illness and treatment) and avoidable suffering (caused by inefficiencies or miscommunication). Healthcare teams must aim to mitigate and prevent avoidable suffering to create a healing environment.
2. Four Domains of Compassionate, Connected Care:
   • Clinical Excellence: Delivering quality care with measurable positive outcomes.
   • Operational Efficiency: Streamlining processes to minimize delays and discomfort.
   • Caring Behaviors: Fostering empathy and engagement through respectful communication.
   • Culture: Aligning staff actions with the hospital’s mission, vision, and values.
3. Patient-Centered Care: Patients want their care to be personalized, coordinated, and inclusive of their voices. Simple gestures like clear communication, acknowledging pain, and providing emotional support can make a significant difference.
4. Role of Feedback: HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) surveys help measure and improve patient experience. Feedback from patients offers actionable insights to refine processes and ensure compassionate care.

What Patients Can Do:
Patients are encouraged to recognize exceptional staff through direct notes or the HCAHPS surveys, providing much-appreciated encouragement and valuable feedback to the team.

For questions or to speak with Sean Howell, contact him at sean.howell@nashvillaha.org or 615-341-4241.