Customer Experience Management for Cancer Patients in a Tertiary Hospital / 임상간호연구

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of customer experience management on nursing service satisfaction of cancer patients and their intent to revisit the hospital and also to identify empathy ability of oncology nurses. METHODS: Participants were 376 cancer patients and 190 oncology nurses from a tertiary hospital in Korea. Cancer patients' satisfaction with nursing care and intent to continue using the hospital were measured and empathy of oncology nurses was measured using Empathy Construct Rating Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, χ² test, t-test, one-way ANOVA and stepwise multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Patient satisfaction with nursing care and intent to continue using the hospital were higher in patients who received the customer experience management program than those who did not. Oncology nurses' ability to empathize was high. Clinical career, participate in customer experience management and education level together explained 20% of variance in empathy ability of oncology nurses. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study confirm that customer experience management affects patient satisfaction with nursing service and intent to continue using the hospital. Further research is necessary to reaffirm the empathy ability of the oncology nurses and to identify the related various factors.

Comparison of Pain Management between before and after the Application of Guidelines in Cancer Emergency Room

PURPOSE: This study was to investigate the effect of the application of cancer pain management guidelines on pain management among patients in Cancer Emergency Room. METHODS: This study was a retrospective descriptive study. Before application, data were collected by analyzing the Electronic Medical Record in Cancer Emergency Room in September, 2011, and after application in February, 2012. The subjects of this study consisted of 231 patients (pre-application group 83, post-application group 148), who stayed over 24 hours and complained of pain higher than Numeric Rating Scale score 4. The post-test was conducted after educating the nurses about the application of the pain management guidelines in the Electronic Medical Record. RESULTS: This survey showed that, as the cancer pain management guidelines were applied for cancer patients with above moderate pain, the pain intensity decreased, the number of patients reaching the treatment goal score increased. Furthermore, the estimated time to reach the treatment goal decreased significantly. CONCLUSION: Pain intensity of the cancer patients was decreased through regular pain assessments by nurses and the medication of analgesics according to the cancer pain management guidelines. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the pain management program and to provide the physicians and nurses with intensive education about the pain management guidelines for systematic and effective pain management.