A randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of an Admission Service on patient and staff satisfaction.

Norton-Westwood D, Robertson-Malt S, Anderson R. International Journal of Nursing Practice 2010; 16: 461-471 A randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of an Admission Service on patient and staff satisfaction This study aims to assess the benefits of an Admission Service (AS) wherein the nurse, when fluent in the language spoken by the patient (Arabic), improves the accuracy and efficiency of acquiring key assessment data needed to guide nursing care. Patients' satisfaction with their hospital experience begins formulating from their time of admission. Dissatisfaction is frequently reported in areas requiring careful, skilled communication such as obtaining emotional support and family participation and education. Over a 3-month study recruitment, 314 patients were randomly assigned to be admitted either through the AS ( n = 150) or to the unit via the standard admission process ( n = 164). The AS improved the efficiency of admission time by > 150%. The nurse's assessment of their quality of admission was also improved: 76 vs. 26 nurses rated their quality of admission as 'very good' when assisted by the AS compared with standard admission to the unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]