Evaluating the effectiveness of the Patient Advocate Program in the Department of Food and Nutrition Services

The purpose of this research was to examine the effectiveness of a Food and Nutrition Services Patient Advocate program on patient satisfaction. The program was established as a service recovery program. All inpatients, who rated their satisfaction with one or more of six FNS attributes as 3 or less (on a 5-point scale) on an Inpatient Satisfaction Survey, were visited by the FNS Patient Advocate. In addition, other patients on the units were randomly visited. A questionnaire, similar to the Inpatient Satisfaction Survey, was sent post discharge to patients who interacted with FNS Patient Advocate (n=182) and those who had given a rating of 3 or less to one or more FNS attribute (n=192); a total of 158 out of 374 (42%) responded. Results indicated that most patients (73%) remember interacting with the FNS Patient Advocate. Comparison of inpatient and post-discharge ratings of satisfaction with FNS, by inpatients who gave ratings of 3 or less (Fair, Poor or Very Poor) for any item and were seen by the FNS Patient Advocate, indicated a significant improvement in ratings post discharge for special diet explained (p<0.01), food temperature (p<0.001), food quality (p<0.001), courtesy of server (p<0.01) and likelihood of receiving ordered foods (p<0.01). Implementation of a Patient Advocate program in the Department of Food and Nutrition Services to address patient concerns while the patient is in the hospital appears to be an effective strategy in improving satisfaction ratings of those patients post-discharge.