Patient Warming Plays a Significant Role in Patient Satisfaction, Clinical Outcomes

Implementing a preoperative patient warming program as one element of an overall effort to improve patient satisfaction requires only a minimum investment of time and can be cost-effective, eliminating staff trips to the blanket warmer, yielding fewer patient complaints and reducing laundry costs and replacement expenses for cotton blankets and gowns. Studies have also suggested that maintaining normothermia can result in savings of $2,500 to $7,000 per patient¹⁴ that might otherwise be spent treating the complications of unintended hypothermia.

Patient warming holds tremendous potential for strong returns in terms of both improved patient outcomes and increased patient satisfaction. Hospitals need to address improving the patient experience as a long-term strategic goal, committing to improvement in the quality of care while making more than just cosmetic enhancements. Now more than ever, including the patient experience in strategic plans is a key component to securing future growth.

For more information about the Bair Paws Patient Satisfaction Study or the Bair Paws System, contact Al Van Duren at (952) 947-1247 or via e-mail at avanduren@arizant.com.

References

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