1. Cleveland Clinic Science Internship Program for Nursing How do Families of Surgical Patients Perceive Communication of their Family Members’ Surgical Status? Elizabeth Wood, Antoinette Zito, RN, BSN, Amy Galassi, RN, BS, Jeanne Sorrell PhD, RN Cleveland Clinic, Hillcrest Hospital Background Methodology Communication between nurses and family members throughout the Perioperative process impacts the patient experience Effective communication can relieve anxiety and improve the experience for patients and families Data suggests that communication, especially from a nurse, is the factor most highly correlated with a positive healthcare experience The purpose of this study is to enhance the communication processes between nurses and family members before and after surgery The study was approved by the Cleveland Clinic IRB Patients and families were provided information sheets about the survey on the day of surgery Random sampling of all surgical patients with family members present. This study excluded: ophthalmology, pediatric and intensive care patients. After obtaining informed consent, the family member was interviewed in a private consult room by one of the investigators following their visit with the patient Data regarding the patient’s length of stay was collected To protect confidentiality all documents were coded and securely maintained Quantitative data was analyzed with descriptive statistics. Researchers worked as a team to analyze qualitative data, identifying the most common categories in participant’s responses Demographic Data N= 43 ResultsConclusions The family members perception of communication was overall satisfactory The survey gave family members an opportunity to discuss other information that would improve the overall experience The Department of Surgical Services current communication system proved to be effective for the majority of those surveyed Family members expressed satisfaction when utilizing the Optime board and the waiting room pagers Communication was perceived as effective regardless of the informant Recommendations Continue the study to increase the sample size Clarify the primary subject of the study Provide a more convenient location for the interview to decrease time away from their family Conduct a comparative study with Perioperative Units in other hospitals “I wish a team member or nurse came to inform us.” “I think it was pretty pleasant.” “When I saw ‘blue’ on the Optime board, I got anxious to hear something.” “It was a really good experience.” “PACU was a little too long and uninformed.” “I thought a nurse would talk to me- I’m a nurse.” “I felt like I could leave this area.” Purpose Talked to a Nurse in Pre-Op Talked to a Nurse in Post-Op Talked to a Doctor Talked to a Nurse Talked to a Nurse and Doctor No Commu nication with a Nurse 10287214 Quotations Gender of Family Member 58% Female42% Male Ethnicity of Family Member 51% Caucasian 27% African American 22% Other Relationship to Patient 63% Spouse 12% Parent25% Other Perception of Information Communication by Nurses 98% of the surveyed family members felt well informed Mean satisfaction score regarding communication was a 7.5 out of 10 Data Number of People who Felt Well Informed 42 Number of People who did Not Feel Well Informed 1 Physical Environmental Issues15 More Information8 More Frequent Information3 Nothing could have Improved the Experience19 Implications Further education of all staff on effective communication techniques Report the information received from family members to the appropriate departments to improve the overall experience Increase the consistency of the information provided to family members Ensure the accuracy of information provided to family members Improve the scores of family satisfaction with nurse communication Areas Identified for Improvement