Which Best Hospitals Have Great (and Not So Great) Nurses

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One of the most important factors is nurse to patient ratio. Mistakes are more common and nurses are not allowed time to really communicate with patients when their patient load is too much. many hospitals "short-staff" on purpose because that can increase the profit for the hospital. To really get a true understanding of health care in an US hospital look at the salaries and bonuses paid to top management. Compare how much that has increased to the pay rate of nurses and other health care providers. it will not take long for you to notice something is "out of line"...

Elizabeth C Foster, RN of AR 2:12PM July 17, 2010

Polite and communicative is how they evaluate nursing. Although nurses should be polite and communictive towards patients, there are better guidelines to use assessing quality nursing care. What about the education mix or years of experience of the nursing staff? What about the nurse to patient ratios? Did anyone evaluate medication errors, sentinal events, nosocomial infection rates, or incident reports related to nursing. These are the areas of interest people should be concerned with when evaluating the quality of nursing care.

Robert Taylor of FL 3:53AM July 16, 2010

It's kindia all messed up. 1st the way they go about all this is wrong and how they get the info. 2nd and most important it should include education, being polite and answering all questions. To even be rated hospitals have to pay to be a part of it and when you add money into the equation that’s when problems start. There should be ONE non-profit group that all standards are equal across the board. Hospitals are way too top heavy and that distracts from patent care. When it comes to money patents come last.

True Words of SD 12:32AM July 16, 2010

To rate nursing care one should have to have several stays. Weekends should be rated separately since that seems to be when the part timers are utilized. I've seen hospitals hit with extremely heavy demands to the point where they had to try to divert EMTs and times when the same staff had almost nothing to do. It makes a difference on the care the staff can provide including RN's. Some Hospitals are so easy to get into because potential patients are asking the EMT's to drive by them to go the one that is full even if the Nurses are over worked. Ever wonder why? I thank God for RN's even the one who aren't smiling because they are over worked.

Bill Robins of NJ 11:07PM July 15, 2010

I find it rather troubling that the criteria for quality nursing care falls under the umbrella of "Nurses being polite and communicative". All the training, knowledge, and experience that nurses bring to their practice are undervalued. But, why should I be surprised. It's all about customer service...it's all about the $$$. So, just put on a happy face, keep the water pitchers coming, and don't worry about how clinically skilled you are. Patients (customers) don't care about that. They just want to be catered to as if they're staying at the Ritz-Carlton. And it pleases the management just as well.

Mary Smith of PA 10:15PM July 15, 2010

Check out St. Elizabeth Hospital in Lincoln Nebraska. I had both knees replaced there. I received superior care. The hospital did a follow-up phone call both times asking me specfic questions concerning the care I received and my impression on the facility and staff. They asked me both times what they could do to improve my experience. St. Elizabeth has to be one of the best in the country for knee and hip replacement. It is also probably the most affordable. Even the food is good!!!

Bonnie Kruse of NE 10:02PM July 15, 2010

I worked at Memorial Hermann Medical Center Houston for many years. The change in attitude there over the last 6 years is very sad. We used to be one of the best places to be taken care of and the nurses really cared about the patients. Not so today. The management and leadership changes over the last 10 years have taken their toll. Alison was the beginning of many sad changes. Maybe they will take note of this bad publicity and work to get back of what they have thrown aside.

K Havard of TX 9:28PM July 15, 2010

When I worked at a famous cancer hospital in Houston, there were times when there were near misses with medication mix-ups or other things. My managers always came to the persons involved and said, "OK, we had a near miss, we want you, who were involved, to create an action plan before the end of day on how this can be prevented in the future and it will implemented by end of the week at most. We felt empowered instead of fearful. Our managers did not blame us for errors. They blamed the system and saw every failure as an opportunity to tweak the system and make it a little better. And the nurses made small changes at the local level that improved the work flow for everyone with out having it have to go to a committee or whatever. This is how you empower nurses and if you listen to your nurses' they will have less anxiety and therefore more time to listen to the patient's.
Now I work for a hospital in Austin (that shall remain nameless) and when I approach my boss with suggestions he always answers me "Yes, but we can't do that because...." How do you know we can't do that, if you don't even give it a try!!!

MBaxter of TX 2:03PM July 15, 2010

The nurses on the ortho floor at St Marys in Grand Rapids Michigan are the very best. That group should be on the top of the list.

J. Unkovskoy of MI 1:58PM July 15, 2010

Since nursing care is a primary factor in hospital ratings, consumers might want to look for hospitals that advertise certified holistic nurses. Holistic Nurses are concerned with the whole person and how the mind-body-spirit interactions affect the individuals well-being. They recognize that the patient's perspective is primary in providing care, that there are multiple ways to accomplish all tasks important in the care of the person, and the individual must be included in determining how these health-care strategies are carried out. They understand their clients needs for respect and dignity are as important as their needs to be comfortable, feel safe, treated competently, and informed of their clinical condition. Bottom-line, holistic nurses recognize that active listening skills are essential to understanding the mind-body-spirit interactions and determining the most affective ways to promote quality of life, facilitate healing, and promote well-being,

Helen Erickson of TX 10:06AM July 15, 2010