Caregiver resilience: The other side of care

Press Ganey Partner, Strategic Consulting, Marty Wright, discusses his experience as a patient. Throughout his journey, Marty witnessed the critical role that workforce engagement and caregiver resilience have on the patient experience.

Video Summary

This video explores the transformative impact of patient-centric care in healthcare, drawing insights from real-life experiences. It unveils a narrative where minor interactions within the healthcare system, such as remarks from a physician and the conduct of nursing staff, can significantly shape a patient's experience. The discussion extends to critical themes like the necessity of caregiver engagement, the challenges posed by professional burnout, and the essential resilience required in the healthcare workforce. Through these insights, viewers are invited to reflect on the countless opportunities within healthcare to prioritize patient well-being and the pivotal role of an engaged workforce in cultivating a culture that values the patient experience. Dive into this exploration to grasp the profound implications of these dynamics on healthcare outcomes.

Video Transcript

I've devoted my career to enhancing the quality of outcomes in healthcare. My perspective broadened significantly when I found myself on the patient side of healthcare. This shift occurred in March of 2016 when I awoke around 1 a.m. in a hotel, grappling with severe stomach pain. This distressing experience led me to the emergency department and subsequently into surgery for an emergency appendectomy several hours later.

During my hospital stay, two seemingly minor details had a profound impact on my overall experience. The first was a casual remark made by a physician, and the second involved a lack of transparency from the night nurse tasked with my care. While these aspects may appear inconsequential to the successful and high-quality outcome of my treatment, they left the most enduring impression on me.

This experience underscored that every interaction in healthcare, no matter how small, is an opportunity to demonstrate the paramount importance of patient-centric care. The underlying reasons for the physician's comment and the nurse's lack of transparency are unclear. They could be attributed to extended shifts, frustrating processes, or other factors. With healthcare professional burnout at unprecedented levels, merely focusing on engagement is insufficient. There's a pressing need to also foster resilience among caregivers, enabling them to prioritize their well-being so they can better serve their patients.

The pivotal role of an engaged workforce in shaping healthcare culture cannot be overstated, especially in relation to the patient experience. The lack of engagement from the two individuals in my case highlighted a significant gap. True engagement manifests as a commitment to go above and beyond, embodying a proactive approach to personal and professional fulfillment, rather than passively awaiting external factors to induce happiness. It's about the synergy between what one contributes to and receives from their organization.