Improving the efficiency of survey research in postoperative patients

Study Objective: To increase the contact rate with eligible patients for quality assurance/ improvement surveys by modifying survey rounds to accommodate the schedules of individual nursing units. Design: Two-phase, interventional time series study. Setting: Postoperative inpatients at a university hospital. Patients: 498 adult postoperative inpatients who remained hospitalized during the second postoperative day. Interventions: Between the first and second measurement periods, efforts were made to learn the schedule of each nursing unit and to improve the efficiency of survey rounds so that a larger proportion of patients could be contacted. Measurements and Main Results: The contact rate for eligible patients was improved from 66% to 80% ( p < 0.01). Improvement during the second period was attributed to fewer patients being away from the nursing unit (20% vs. 12%, p < 0.05) or otherwise occupied by attending physicians on rounds (9% vs. 4%, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Strategies individualized to patient care units can improve the efficiency and credibility of inpatient survey research. We describe the strategies most helpful in improving the efficiency of survey rounds at one medical center.