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How clean are your hospital's rooms?

Infection Control Monitor, April 4, 2008

How well is your environmental services staff cleaning patients' rooms and bathrooms? Just how your hospital stacks up on this and other patient satisfaction measures is now public information.

The Department of Health and Human Services on March 28 began providing comprehensive data on consumer satisfaction for the first time on its Hospital Compare consumer Web site. The new data, available for most of the country's hospitals, is based on a national survey of patient experiences and perceptions of hospital care.

The study found many patients are dissatisfied with some aspects of their care and might not recommend the facilities to friends and relatives, reported The New York Times. The survey asked patients about the communication skills of physicians and nurses, dirty and noisy hospital rooms, adequate pain medication after surgery, and understanding of discharge instructions.

Patients were also asked how often their room and bathroom were kept clean. Many large teaching hospitals scored below the national average on questions about the cleanliness and quietness of facilities, the Times reported.

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