Nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale famously said that, “The first requirement in a hospital is that it should do no harm to the sick.” In today’s technological world, consumers have access to hospital records including mortality rates and other public health information. In light of that public knowledge, where can doctors and surgeons safely and ethically draw the line between acting in the best interests of the patients while protecting the reputation and profitability of the hospital? And what are the implications for nurses and travel nurses who work in these facilities alongside the doctors making these decisions? When it comes to hospital ratings vs. patient welfare, many health professionals are being put in a precarious position. Let’s take a look below and try to dissect the hospital ratings vs patient welfare debate.
Hospital Ratings vs. Patient Welfare
A recent article in the Boston Globe questioned whether cardiologists in that state’s hospitals are going far enough to save the lives of cardiac patients with advanced procedures such as stent placement. The article was supported by data showing a decrease in recent years of patients receiving those procedures. They also reported controversy brewing toward hospitals with higher than average mortality rates in patients receiving the procedures. In other words – those hospitals are becoming less popular places to stay amongst patients who have the choice. These health professionals are forced to balance risky procedures or unnecessary treatments to ensure that their hospital review remains high. This hospital ratings vs. patient welfare dilemma certainly is tough to navigate.
Hospital Ratings
With the current healthcare industry climate, hospital ratings play an important role in any healthcare facility. When the government decides to contribute money to facilities, the hospital rating is one of the first things they look at. If a hospital has a low rating, there’s a strong chance that they could be penalized financially. This is why despite healthcare workers’ apprehension, many hospitals are forced to focus on the hospital ratings, then the actual patients.
Something else to consider when looking at hospital ratings vs. patient welfare is the type of feedback a hospital receives. Studies show that people are much more likely to leave a review if they’ve had a negative experience. This means that while your patients might have had excellent care at your facility, they most likely won’t bother to complete a review. On the other hand, if your patients didn’t receive the care that they think they deserve, you can certainly expect to hear about it. The newest caveat in this decision is that doctors are now working in an information age where health care consumers can research and select which hospital to give their hard earned money to. Patients can now do their research before they decide to go to a healthcare facility, so it’s important that your online reputation is stellar.
Patient Welfare
At the end of the day, your patient’s health and well-being are most important. While hospital ratings certainly play a role in the financial stability of your hospital, the people are what’s most important. The decision about whether a patient is well enough to receive a risky surgery that may either save their life or take it on the operating table, has long been a challenge of ethics, patient welfare, statistical odds and probability for surgeons. Patients may insist on a specific procedure despite the risk and necessity. It’s up to you and your coworkers to decide what truly is best for the patient. When it comes to hospital ratings vs. patient welfare, it’s important to remember that your sole job is to take care of the patient.
How should doctors balance the profitability of the hospital, and therefore the level of service it can offer to patients, via public health ratings, while still making an unbiased decision based on the patient’s legitimate odds of surviving a procedure? As a nurse or traveling nurses who has undoubtedly witnessed these decisions being made, what do you think? Comment below!
