Abstract
Patient experience (PEX) is a key healthcare quality metric that may signal safety vulnerabilities by revealing gaps in communication and care processes before adverse events occur. Despite the importance of evidence-based practices (EBPs), maintaining consistent adherence remains a challenge. As a strategy to improve patient experience while reinforcing adherence to EBPs, this case study describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a Patient Experience Coach (PEXC) program at two hospitals within a large health system. The intervention embedded trained coaches within clinical units to provide real-time observation, feedback, and reinforcement of EBPs. Core EBPs targeted by the program included hourly rounding, bedside shift reports, interdisciplinary collaborative rounding, and standardized communication practices. Using a two-site observational pre-post case study design, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) composite scores were collected retrospectively over a four-year evaluation period. Independent samples t-tests compared implementation and post-implementation scores against the pre-implementation baseline. Both hospitals demonstrated statistically significant improvements in patient experience composite scores across all evaluation years. Hospital 1 demonstrated score increases ranging from 16.73 to 37.64 percentile points, while Hospital 2 showed gains of 19.84 to 45.09 percentile points relative to baseline. Improvements were observed across all HCAHPS domains, with the largest gains in communication and staff responsiveness. These findings suggest that dedicated care-coaching roles focused on EBP adherence may enhance patient experience outcomes in acute care settings.
Recommended Citation
Bowersox M, Coryea-Hafkey P, Baird K, Cendoma R, Borkowski N. Improving Patient Experience Scores Through Patient Experience Coaches: A Case Study. Patient Experience Journal. ; 13(3):477-484. doi: 10.35680/2372-0247.2188.
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