Abstracts

Rationale: Little literature documenting (a) staff and patient experience of a seizure monitoring unit (SMU), and (b) quality improvement activity related to the SMU clinical processes is available. By evaluating staff perspectives and satisfaction regarding the SMU, we hope to identify areas of improvement which will guide ongoing quality improvement activity. Available literature on staff satisfaction in health care shows a link between staff satisfaction and quality of patient care; whereby staff satisfaction can influence patient’s perceptions of the quality of care, and therefore a positive correlation between staff and patient satisfaction exists. Methods: A staff satisfaction survey was developed by the SMU Quality Improvement (QI) team. Multi-professional staff members were asked to select one response for each of the questions. A five point Likert scale was used for all quantitative survey items. There were also two open-ended questions intended to elicit qualitative data. Results: The response rates for staff are as follows: Staff MD 60%, RN 37%, EEG Tech 54%. A total of 27 responses were received with an overall response rate of 33%. The survey consisted of 34 items which measured staff satisfaction across a range of dimensions. 73% of staff who responded rated the SMU as above average or better when comparing the unit to other work areas. Survey items rating teamwork and safety were rated most positively overall, with items relating to consistency of staffing and availability of equipment being rated least positively. Chi square analysis was conducted on all survey questions to establish any significant differences in the perception of staff across different disciplines. Preliminary findings show no significant differences between the professional roles for most items. EEG techs were, however, more satisfied with the opportunity to work closely with patients than other staff (p = 0.003) and nursing staff were less satisfied than EEG techs in their ability to troubleshoot equipment problems (p = 0.015). Qualitative responses to survey questions on positive aspects of staff's experience on the SMU alongside opportunities for improvement suggest that: staff valued the unique clinical opportunities of the environment, appreciated the opportunity to work closely as a multi-professional team, and also that staff felt communication between disciplines was good. Areas for improvement included providing more continuity of nursing staff, access to equipment, improving the research profile for staff other than physicians and further developing team educational strategies.Conclusions: With this survey, designed to generate information regarding staff satisfaction in working in the SMU, we have gained information that will be used to guide SMU Quality Improvement initiatives. We believe that a quality management approach that emphasises the importance of capturing both patient experience and staff satisfaction will help drive improvements in patient care in both a meaningful and measurable way.