LaShanti King Doctoral Project Defense, Tuesday, October 7, 2025 @ 11:00 am Central Time
October 7 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Chloe Gaines
TITLE: IMPLEMENTING A NURSE NAVIGATOR IN AN OUTPATIENT PROCEDURAL SETTING TO IMPROVE PATIENT SATISFACTION SCORES: A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
ABSTRACT: Since the Affordable Care Act (2010), much focus has been placed on patient experience as it has regulatory, financial, and business growth implications. Patient satisfaction is crucial to keeping the current customer base, gaining new customers, and fulfilling the growth set forth by operational leaders’ strategic plans.
Purpose of the project
The purpose of this project was to determine whether implementing a nurse navigator to round in the preop and waiting area for two months would increase patient-reported satisfaction scores in two categories: kept informed about any delays during the visit and the likelihood to recommend the facility.
PICO(T) questions
The PICO(T) questions addressed were: Does implementation of a nurse navigator to round in the waiting area and preop rooms increase Press Ganey satisfaction scores in two areas: 1) kept informed about any delays during the visit, and 2) how likely they are to recommend the facility, compared to pre-intervention, over two months.
Methodology
Third-party vendor Press Ganey sent out 653 surveys; 136 were completed and returned, at a return rate of 20.8%. The sample population who responded to the survey was: 62.5% males and 37.5% females; 79.9% Caucasian and 16.5% African American. Data was collected on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from Very Poor to Very Good. The only acceptable response was “Very Good.” Collected data was dichotomized to yes or no. The Chi-square test of independence statistical analysis test was used to compare pre-implementation data to post-implementation data in a two-month time frame, respectively.
Main Findings
Findings were mixed. The nurse navigator intervention was significant (p-value=0.019) for keeping patients informed about any delays during the visit. Likelihood to recommend the facility was found to not be significant (p-value=o.887), meaning the nurse navigator did not have a major effect on a patient’s response to likelihood to recommend.
Main conclusions
Patient satisfaction is multifaceted; as such, implementing the nurse navigator should not be the sole strategy that a facility deploys to increase patient satisfaction scores. The nurse navigator significantly impacts satisfaction when communication is the central theme.
Location Online:
Zoom Link: https://pvpanther.zoom.us/j/97068400929?pwd=rDKnTdf1eB4BLacPmuG3JjTl2aV0V3.1
Meeting ID: 970 6840 0929
Passcode: 177459
