Croatian Nursing Journal, Vol. 2 No. 2, 2018.
Professional paper
https://doi.org/10.24141/2/2/2/5
Patient Complaints – a Tool for Improving Quality of Nursing Care
Željka Benceković
orcid.org/0000-0001-8056-0443
; University Hospital Centre Sestre milosrdnice, Zagreb, Croatia
Vesna Čerfalvi
; University Hospital Centre Sestre milosrdnice, Zagreb, Croatia
Biserka Režek
orcid.org/0000-0002-0948-6057
; University Hospital Centre Sestre milosrdnice, Zagreb, Croatia
Natalija Hadžić
; University Hospital Centre Sestre milosrdnice, Zagreb, Croatia
Ela Vujanić
orcid.org/0000-0002-5904-7669
; University Hospital Centre Sestre milosrdnice, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Introduction. Patient complaints are the point of the patient's dissatisfaction with the healthcare service (nursing care, etc.). The inadequate handling of patient complaints may result in negative consequences for the healthcare institutions, but also for employees involved in the healthcare process. Healthcare institutions in the Republic of Croatia are obliged to prescribe procedures for handling complaints of patients who must meet certain criteria. According to these criteria the institutions can introduce their own way of dealing with patient complaints. It includes monitoring, analysis and corrective actions based on the analysis of patient complaints. Nurses make a large number of healthcare staff (especially hospital staff) and they contribute significantly to the overall quality of their services and are an important factor in ensuring quality and positive perception of health care. Therefore, it is important to manage complaints in the field of health care.
Aim. The aim of this paper is to investigate complaints management in the field of nursing care to present a way of handling patient complaints, conduct a patient complaints analysis with special emphasis on complaints related to the work of nurses.
Methods. A database search was conducted to find literature from this area and a retrospective analysis of patient complaints filed through the hospital complaint filing system in the period from 1st January to 31st December 2017.
Results. During this period 147 complaints and 132 commendations were received and analyzed. Of the total number of complaints, 21 (14%) referred to nurses. Most complaints (66%) referred to nurses employed in the polyclinic section. They mostly indicated dissatisfaction with communication (40%) and, in the opinion of patients, inappropriate attitude towards them (31%).
Conclusion. The results represent guidelines for the implementation of further measures to improve the quality of health care in this area.
Keywords
complaints; management; nurses; quality
Hrčak ID:
213184
URI
Publication date:
18.12.2018.
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