Nurses Agree That Collaboration With Hospital Support Service Functions Is Key To Patient Safety

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With patient safety growing as a top concern for both hospital leaders and patients, a new survey reports that according to nurses the entire patient care team must be focused on safety. Feedback from 7,472 nurses in a study conducted by the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) and ARAMARK Healthcare found that nursing collaboration with hospital support service functions, including environmental services, clinical technology services, food and nutritional services, and patient transportation are vital to creating a safer patient environment.

"Nurses are the catalyst for the patient care team, and we understand that collaboration with support services is essential, because of the many critical patient touch points that these groups have," said John Babiarz, Group President of ARAMARK Healthcare. "We are using this survey data to help train our support service teams to be the eyes and ears of the nurse; to ensure that we are focused on helping to bring infection rates to zero; to deliver the right clinical equipment to the right patient at the right time; and to deliver food service to enhance the patient's experience and assist in their recovery through sound nutrition therapy."

The study, which measures nursing collaboration with support service functions, ranked "providing a safer patient environment" as the single highest area of nurse satisfaction. The online survey, called Nursing Satisfaction with Support Services (NS3), was made available to nearly 40,000 nurses across the U.S.

The project is designed to establish national benchmark data and offer a survey instrument for hospitals to evaluate nursing and support service relationships in their own unique environments.

"The patient is at the center of this work," said Pamela Thompson, chief executive officer of AONE. "Used together, the NS3 survey and the guiding principles can help nurse leaders build stronger collaboration with support service groups. We are excited to announce that the NS3 survey tool will be available to hospitals across the country in the spring of 2009."

This survey is part of a broader body of work underway by AONE and ARAMARK Healthcare geared to measuring and strengthening collaboration among nursing and support services. In 2007, the two organizations created the Guiding Principles for Relationships among Nursing and Support Services in the Clinical Setting, which is intended to be a roadmap for hospitals to understand the key areas that impact these relationships.

More information on the guiding principles may be found on both the ARMARK Healthcare website (www.aramarkhealthcare.com) and on the AONE website (www.aone.org).

About American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE)

The American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) is the national professional organization for nurses who design, facilitate and manage care. With more than 6,000 members, AONE is the voice of nursing leadership in health care. Since 1967, the organization has provided leadership, professional development, advocacy and research to advance nursing practice and patient care, promote nursing leadership excellence, and shape public policy for health care. AONE is a subsidiary of the American Hospital Association.

About ARAMARK Healthcare

ARAMARK Healthcare is a leader in providing best-in-class non-clinical services that are essential to healthcare delivery. Understanding that clinical excellence and the environment are interdependent, ARAMARK Healthcare directly impacts the entire healthcare continuum – patient, employee, nurse and physician satisfaction, operational efficiency and service excellence.

Through its facilities, food and clinical technology services, ARAMARK Healthcare helps more than 1,000 hospitals and senior living facilities deliver the optimal experience for patients and residents, their families, and the physicians, nurses and staff who care for them. For more information visit www.aramarkhealthcare.com

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