Date of Award
Summer 2026
Abstract
Background: Patient feedback is essential to providing the best possible nursing care. Positive patient experiences can impact overall patient satisfaction, loyalty, and trust.
Local Problem: On a pediatric unit at a New England hospital, an assessment of the microsystem revealed that there was a low number of monthly patient feedback survey completions, which limited insight into patient experiences.
Aim Statement: The primary aim of this project was to increase the number of monthly National Research Corporation (NRC) surveys to ten by June 30, 2026.
Methods: This quality improvement project was guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model. The first stage of this project featured a baseline survey. During the second stage, the intervention took place. In the third stage, a post-intervention survey was conducted to determine intervention compliance and the potential impact of the intervention on nurses’ self-reported patient communication performance. Throughout the project, NRC survey completions were monitored.
Intervention: Nurses were to ask the parents or guardians of their patients to take the upcoming patient feedback survey during the discharge process.
Results: Nine staff nurses completed the baseline survey, and seven completed the post-intervention survey. The responses in the post-intervention survey indicated a low level of intervention compliance (14%). The total number of monthly NRC surveys completed in June was six. However, the rate of patient feedback survey completions had increased by 50% compared to the previous six months.
Conclusion: This project did not meet its primary aim to increase monthly patient feedback survey completions to ten, however, there was an increase in the monthly survey completion rate. However, due to low intervention compliance the relationship between enhanced nursing communication and monthly patient feedback survey completions has not been fully established. Additional research is needed to understand whether enhanced nursing communication can make an impact on monthly patient feedback survey completions.
Document Type
Master's Thesis
First Advisor
April Phelps, DNP, RN, CNL
College or School
CHHS
Department or Program
Direct Entry Master of Nursing
Degree Name
Master of Science
Recommended Citation
Pawlowski, Lindsey E., "Increasing Patient Feedback Survey Completions through Patient-Centered Nursing Communication: A Quality Improvement Project" (2026). Master's Theses and Capstones. 2113.
https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis/2113