Influence of COVID‐19 outbreak on emergency department Press Ganey scores of emergency physicians

Abstract

Background and Hypothesis The authors investigate whether there is a difference in Press Ganey (PG; patient satisfaction scores) scores for the emergency physicians before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) outbreak at a regional group of emergency departments in the southeastern United States. The authors hypothesize that decreases in emergency department volume, less emergency department boarding of admissions, reduced use of hallway beds, and favorable attitudes toward emergency physicians during the COVID‐19 outbreak may influence patient satisfaction scores measured in the Press Ganey surveys. Study Design and Methods The authors performed a retrospective review of PG scores obtained over the prior 7 months at 8 larger teaching hospitals in the Southeast region (Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina). Averaged physician PG Scores and their 4 components—courtesy, time to listen, informative regarding treatment, concern for comfort—were collected. The authors evaluated the overall physician PG ratings for March through May 2020 (COVID outbreak) vs the prior 4 months. Overall emergency physician scores, using top box methodology of percent highest response, were averaged from 4 questions regarding the emergency physician's care. Results There were 6272 patient satisfaction surveys returned in the 7‐month study period; 4003 responses during the pre‐COVID months (November 2019–February 2020) and 2296 during the COVID months (March through May 2020). Results showed that in the “pre‐COVID time” the PG surveys scored in the 17% of all PGs in the country (63.9% “top‐box” or highest rating score) as compared to scoring in the 34% of all PGs (68.1% “top‐box”) during “COVID time.” These data were statistically significant using a chi‐square analysis with P < 0.001 Conclusions Emergency physician patient satisfaction scores, as represented by the PG score, were significantly higher during the COVID months, in comparison to the pre‐COVID months, for 8 teaching hospitals in the Southeast region of the United States.

The Evolution of Telehealth From Pre-COVID-19 Pandemic Through A Hybrid Virtual Care Delivery Model: A Pediatric Hospital’s Journey

“…The pediatric health system had a hospital-wide patient satisfaction survey administered by Press-Ganey which captures the “voice of the customer” and measures the patient experience ( Jehle, et al, 2020 ). Patients were chosen to complete the survey via random selection, following the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers (HCAHPS) survey method, which does not require informed consent (Davidson et al, 2017; Lappé, et al, 2020).…”

Emergency Department Patient Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…A recent publication by Jehle and colleagues described the trend of increased patient satisfaction scores amidst the pandemic (19). One possible explanation for the increased satisfaction and the positive themes identified in this study is the perceived acuity of visits during COVID-19.…”

“…As a result, major medical organizations launched advertising campaigns encouraging people to avoid delaying medical care (17,18). During this period of overall decreased ED utilization, a significant improvement was seen in measurable scores of ED patient experience compared to typical performance trends, despite the unprecedented stress experienced by the ED and overall health care system (19). As such, it is important to better understand the ED patient experience during the COVID pandemic to identify the possible areas for intervention and optimization of emergency care delivery in the future.…”

Humans not heroes: Canadian emergency physician experiences during the early COVID-19 pandemic

“…Similar to other studies, our physicians reported colleagues 17 and members of the public were respectful and thankful. 18 However, the positive impacts on physician mental health were short lived and the overall sense was that participants had experienced negative mental health during the early pandemic. The mean participant anxiety score was comparable with those reported in outpatients with general anxiety, social anxiety and panic disorder.…”