Post-Occupancy Evaluation: Observation on Patient Satisfaction and Staff Operations
By Debbie Phillips, AIA, ACHA and Lou Meilink, AIA, ACHA
Ballinger recently conducted a Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) of Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital’s (PMCCH) new Lasko Tower. Although the primary goal of the study was to gather insights for internal education and future projects, it also offered an opportunity to compare patient satisfaction and operational performance between Lasko Tower (built 2013-14) and an existing unit, the West Building (built – 1962, renovated – 1998). The methodology of the POE included staff and patient surveys, staff interviews, and onsite observation.
There were several similarities between the two units including private patient rooms and similar acoustical features. However, significant differences at the new Lasko Tower included larger unit size and decentralized care stations between every 2 patient rooms. Because of the similarities between the two units, there was a more direct comparison between HCAHPS scores (noise & cleanliness), and rates of HAIs. The POE analysis reviewed multiple items:
Patient satisfaction with the patient rooms and other family amenities,
Staff operations relative to charting and patient care, and
Housekeeping operations relative to material selection and ongoing maintenance.
The study assigned a cost/benefit metric to key design considerations including private rooms, decentralized care stations, intangible amenities, and family amenities. The findings included:
Patients felt that the decentralized nurse stations improved their sense of being cared for – the highest impact for the least cost.
Staff felt they had higher productivity on the new unit – even after initial concerns about size and layout of the unit.
The highest satisfier for patients in the new unit was the patient room size and bathroom.
Since the move from West Building to Lasko Tower, the hospital has seen significant improvements in HCAHPS and staff satisfaction. The results from this POE are also being used to help inform the design and furniture/equipment selection of PMCCH’s next bed tower.
