University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Rachel Z. Booth Endowed Chair Patricia A. Patrician, PhD, RN, FAAN, has been awarded a $235,672 grant from the TriService Nursing Research Program (TSNRP) to compare the impact of nursing services on the patient experience in civilian and military hospitals to help identify areas for improvement in patient outcomes in the military setting.
Patrician’s pioneering study is the first to compare the hospital experience of these two patient groups to provide information for improving military patient experience. Previous research has shown that favorable nursing practice environments are associated with improved patient outcomes and experiences in civilian hospitals. This study will use nursing work environment data collected in 2018 and patient experience data from HospitalCompare.gov in order to determine differences between military and civilian hospitals’ patient experience scores and to determine the nursing practice environment impacts patient experience in military hospitals.
"The military health care system is different from civilian hospitals in many good ways,” Patrician said. “I am particularly interested in comparing military to civilian Magnet-designated hospitals in regard to patient experience and the impact nursing services have on that experience. In my last study, data showed that military hospitals scored identically to Magnet hospitals, or hospitals known for excellent work environments and excellent care on the scale we use to measure professional work environments. I am hoping we see something similar in this study in regard to patient experience.”
Through this research, Patrician aims to provide a basis for nursing-related interventions that can improve patient experience in military hospitals. This study not only fills a gap in existing research, but also provides a first step for further improving care for our nation’s active and retired service members and their families.
Patrician is a retired United States Army Colonel and 26-year veteran of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. She is for the Co-Director of the VA National Quality Scholars Program site at the Birmingham VA Medical Center and one of only six people nationwide to serve on the Strategic Advisory Board of the national Quality and Safety Education for Nurses Institute.
