title: Using a standardized assessment tool to measure patient experience on a seizure monitoring unit compared to a general neurology unit.
abstract: Seizure monitoring unit (SMU) research typically focuses on diagnostic utility and medical management of epilepsy. However, patient safety and satisfaction are also imperative to high-quality SMU care. This study uses a standardized tool to evaluate patient experience on a SMU compared to a general neurology unit (GNU). The 27-item Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey was telephone-administered post-discharge to a sample of patients from our SMU and GNU. Data from a 33-month period were reviewed, encompassing 217 SMU patient admissions and 317 GNU patient admissions. On average, SMU patients were 14.7 years younger and stayed in the hospital 4.2 days longer than GNU patients. SMU patients provided lower overall mental health ratings (p<.001), perceived nursing staff to be more responsive to the call button (p<.001), and assigned higher overall ratings to their stay (p<0.05). Lower education was associated with more favorable hospital ratings on both units (p<0.05).
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
authors.forename: Jodie I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Khara
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sauro
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jetté
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Osiowy
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Knox
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wiebe
authors.forename: Neelan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pillay
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Federico
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Sophia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Macrodimitris
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009462:Neurology; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012640:Seizures / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*