Ravinder Kang1, Samuel T Kunkel2, Jesse A Columbo1, Philip P Goodney3, Sandra L Wong4. 1. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH; VA Quality Scholars Program, Veterans Health Association, White River Junction, Vt; VA Outcomes Group, Veterans Health Association, White River Junction, Vt; The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lebanon, NH. 2. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH. 3. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH; VA Outcomes Group, Veterans Health Association, White River Junction, Vt; The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lebanon, NH. 4. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH; The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lebanon, NH.. Electronic address: Sandra.L.Wong@hitchcock.org.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Employee satisfaction is thought to impact performance. However, which aspects of employee satisfaction matter most is unknown. We utilized data from the Veterans Affairs Medical Centers(VAMC) via their Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning program to examine the association between organizational satisfaction as well as job-specific satisfaction with measures of patient safety, patient satisfaction, and hospital rating. METHODS: The correlation between employee satisfaction with their organization and with their specific job were examined across indicators of patient care using Pearson and Spearman's correlation. Employee satisfaction data were obtained from the All Employee Survey. RESULTS: We found that employee job-specific satisfaction does not correlate with patient outcomes, whereas higher satisfaction with the organization is associated with improved patient safety (ρ = -0.19, P < .05) and correlates with all aspects of patient satisfaction ("top box" ratings of hospital [r = 0.30, P < 0.005], primary care [r = 0.25, P < 0.005], and specialty care [r = 0.14, P < 0.005]). Further, employees are more satisfied with their job and organization when they work at a VAMC with a higher Star rating. CONCLUSION: Employee organizational satisfaction and job-specific satisfaction are distinct metrics, and it is higher organizational satisfaction that is associated with improved patient care.
BACKGROUND: Employee satisfaction is thought to impact performance. However, which aspects of employee satisfaction matter most is unknown. We utilized data from the Veterans Affairs Medical Centers(VAMC) via their Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning program to examine the association between organizational satisfaction as well as job-specific satisfaction with measures of patient safety, patient satisfaction, and hospital rating. METHODS: The correlation between employee satisfaction with their organization and with their specific job were examined across indicators of patient care using Pearson and Spearman's correlation. Employee satisfaction data were obtained from the All Employee Survey. RESULTS: We found that employee job-specific satisfaction does not correlate with patient outcomes, whereas higher satisfaction with the organization is associated with improved patient safety (ρ = -0.19, P < .05) and correlates with all aspects of patient satisfaction ("top box" ratings of hospital [r = 0.30, P < 0.005], primary care [r = 0.25, P < 0.005], and specialty care [r = 0.14, P < 0.005]). Further, employees are more satisfied with their job and organization when they work at a VAMC with a higher Star rating. CONCLUSION: Employee organizational satisfaction and job-specific satisfaction are distinct metrics, and it is higher organizational satisfaction that is associated with improved patient care.
Authors: Denise D Quigley; Nabeel Qureshi; Mary E Slaughter; Scott Kim; Efrain Talamantes; Ron D Hays Journal: J Eval Clin Pract Date: 2021-05-20 Impact factor: 2.431