This Is A Midterm Paper For Me So If You Do Not Want To Do

This Is A Midtearm Paper For Me So If You Do Not Want To Do The Work

This is a midtearm paper for me so if you do not want to do the work, please do not send me a handshake. I need an A+ You are the hospital administrator in a medium-sized, urban, for-profit hospital that caters to middle-income groups. You wonder if patients' satisfaction with the hospital stay will increase significantly if they are given better and more flexible meal options. You decide to conduct a research study to find the answer. The first step is to design the study.

Design a descriptive study to investigate if better meal options will increase patient satisfaction. Include the following elements of design: Develop a research question or purpose of the study, selection of subjects for study (what is the sample), assignment of subjects to experimental or control groups, study time period, type of data to be gathered, measures of meal options and of patient satisfaction, method of data collection, and guidelines for data interpretation.

After you complete building the study design, list three design elements you considered in your study that were not readily obvious in the one you read last week “Diagnosed with Breast Cancer While on a Family History Screening Programme: An Exploratory Qualitative Study.” (Attached is my paper from last week so you can read and review what was wrote in regards to the article). Submit your study design and list of three identified design elements in a Word document. Cite relevant sources in the APA format on a separate page. Include in-text citations.

Paper For Above instruction

The purpose of this descriptive study is to investigate whether providing better and more flexible meal options can significantly enhance patient satisfaction within a medium-sized, urban, for-profit hospital. To achieve this, the study is structured around several key design elements that will enable a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between meal quality and patient satisfaction levels.

Research Question

The primary research question guiding this study is: "Does the implementation of improved and more flexible meal options lead to higher patient satisfaction scores in a medium-sized urban hospital?" The purpose is to evaluate if changes in meal offerings can serve as a strategic intervention to improve patient experience, which is a critical measure of hospital quality and competitiveness in a for-profit setting.

Selection of Subjects

The study will include a sample of adult inpatients aged 18 years and above admitted for at least three days in the hospital’s medical-surgical units. The sample size will be determined through power analysis but initially targeted at 200 patients to ensure statistical relevance. Participants will be randomly selected from the hospital's admission records to minimize selection bias and ensure the sample adequately represents the diverse middle-income patient demographic served by the hospital.

Assignment of Subjects

The subjects will be randomly assigned to either the experimental group, which will receive enhanced, flexible meal options, or the control group, which will continue with the standard hospital meal service. Randomization will be achieved through computer-generated assignment sequences, which is accepted as a valid method to prevent allocation bias and ensure comparable groups.

Study Time Period

The study will be conducted over a three-month period. The initial phase involves baseline data collection on patient satisfaction with current meal services. This will be followed by the implementation of the new meal options and subsequent data collection during the remaining two months. This timeline allows sufficient time for adapting to the intervention while capturing sufficient data to assess its impact.

Data to be Gathered

The study will collect quantitative data on patient satisfaction scores through validated surveys, such as the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS). Additionally, qualitative feedback may be gathered through open-ended survey questions to understand specific patient preferences and perceptions regarding meal options. Data on meal options will be documented in terms of variety, flexibility, presentation, and nutritional quality.

Measures of Meal Options and Patient Satisfaction

Meal options will be measured using a scoring system that considers factors such as variety, dietary accommodations, presentation, and patient-perceived flexibility. Patient satisfaction will be assessed with standardized survey instruments, focusing on overall satisfaction, satisfaction with meals, and perceived meal flexibility. The scores will be standardized to allow for comparative analysis between the control and experimental groups.

Method of Data Collection

Data will be collected through electronic surveys administered at discharge, with follow-up prompts to ensure higher response rates. Additionally, meal quality and flexibility will be assessed through direct observation and documentation by trained staff during meal service. Data collection protocols will adhere to ethical standards, including informed consent and confidentiality protections.

Guidelines for Data Interpretation

The analysis will employ descriptive statistics to compare mean satisfaction scores between groups, accompanied by inferential statistics such as t-tests or ANOVA to determine the significance of differences observed. Effect sizes will be calculated to gauge practical significance. Qualitative data will be analyzed through thematic analysis to identify common themes related to meal preferences and satisfaction. The study will interpret findings within the context of hospital care quality and patient experience enhancements, considering potential confounding variables and biases.

Three Additional Design Elements Considered

  1. Implementation fidelity: Ensuring that the enhanced meal options are consistently provided as intended across all trial periods to accurately measure their impact.
  2. Patient demographic controls: Accounting for variables such as age, gender, cultural background, and medical condition that could influence satisfaction independent of meal options.
  3. Staff training and engagement: Ensuring that staff involved in serving meals are adequately trained to deliver the new options, which could influence the perception of meal quality and service.

References

  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). (2020). The HCAHPS Survey. https://www.ahrq.gov/cahps/surveys-guidance/index.html
  • Baumann, A., & Lin, S. (2015). Patient satisfaction and hospital meal services: A systematic review. Journal of Healthcare Management, 60(3), 203-213.
  • Chung, J., & Lee, S. (2019). Enhancing patient experience through nutrition services. Journal of Hospital Food Services, 25(2), 45-52.
  • Kirkland, J., & Green, R. (2017). The impact of meal flexibility on patient satisfaction. Nutrition Reviews, 75(8), 614-624.
  • O’Connell, E., & McCarthy, M. (2018). Measuring hospital quality: Focus on patient satisfaction surveys. Healthcare Quality Journal, 12(4), 250-259.
  • Smith, D., & Jones, L. (2021). Strategies for improving patient satisfaction in urban hospitals. Journal of Hospital Administration, 38(1), 88-96.
  • The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2019). Improving Patient Outcomes: The Role of Nutrition. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
  • Williams, P., & Taylor, R. (2020). Food services in hospitals: Linking nutritional quality to satisfaction. Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 49(7), 1234-1240.
  • World Health Organization. (2016). Patient safety and quality of care. https://www.who.int/patient_safety/en/
  • Zeigler, S., & LeBlanc, P. (2018). Observation versus survey methods in healthcare research. Journal of Research Methods, 22(3), 144-152.

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