Background: The public reporting of healthcare statistical data is becoming an accepted way of improving quality. Patient satisfaction has been prominent in the United States for more than ten years and has been a prominent feature of the British health system reform. While the products of reporting have varied, this comparative information is becoming an important quality improvement instrument in most developed developed countries. The facility has seen a decrease in HCAHPS scores and implemented a quality improvement initiative to address these concerns. The focus of healthcare is changing and healthcare organizations will have to adapt to survive. EBP Framework: The evidence based framework that guided this capstone project is Rosswurm and Larrabee’s Change to Evidence-Based Practice. This model guides the project through the six-steps of change to evidence based practice. The six steps: Assess, Link, Synthesize, Design, Implement/Evaluate, and Integrate/Maintain were crucial for this project. The theory for this project was Kurt Lewin’s change theory. The unfreezing, change, and refreezing of the status quo provided a successful strategy. The three stages of the theory redirects staff from counter-productive patterns, engages in thoughts/attitudes about new practices, better productive patterns, and establishes the new pattern as the norm. Methods: The evaluation involved the nursing staff and their understanding and buy in of evidence based practice. This two-phase process occurred over a thirty-day period in 2017. Phase 1 was a reinforcement of the AIDET process via and in-service in the employee breakroom. Phase 2 involved staff completing a questionnaire that consist of staff responses to use of AIDET and an evidence based practice attitude scale that measures attitudes about the use of evidence based research to change practice. Findings: The findings showed that the staff performed AIDET with all patients and were receptive to using evidence-based practice to change how they communicate with patients. To improve quality nurses at the bedside the nurse will need to change how they communicate to patients. The comparison of HCAHPS scores from 2015 to 2016 show an increase in patients satisfaction in relation to communication, Further research is needed in the area of individual application of AIDET. Conclusions/Recommendations: The Affordable Care Act has changed healthcare from a pay service to a pay for performance and patient satisfaction will continue to be a changeable metric facilities and staff can do at the bedside. The improvement of communication in the ED can reduce the stress and improve patient outcomes. There needs to be more research into the application of AIDET on an individual patient basis.
