Five-Star Assessment: Your Bathrooms...
June 24, 2011Doug Wojcieszak, Founder & Spokesperson Contact phone/e-mail address: 618-559-8168; doug@sorryworks.net
FIVE-STAR ASSESSMENT: YOUR BATHROOMS Many years ago I worked for a meticulous gentleman who, one day, made a comment I'll never forget: "You can judge the quality of a restaurant by the cleanliness of the bathrooms."
Think about it....would you want to eat food prepared by people who go potty in a bathroom that smells...the toilets and floor haven't been cleaned in days or weeks....trash over-flowing....etc, etc? Nobody would want the employees who use such bathrooms on a regular basis touching their food.
Now, what about healthcare?
Would you want a doctor or nurse touching you who just went potty in a bathroom that looks like your son's fraternity house?!?
I once gave several presentations at Hospital X, where, over the course of a day, I almost always had to use the same bathroom.....the one with the broken urinal. No matter how many times you flushed the pee water wouldn't go down. Well, let me tell you by the end of the day that bathroom stunk...and this is the same bathroom used by many patients and families. What kind of impression does that give to patients and families? Same impression they get at a restaurant, only it could be more serious.
Sad thing is staff were using this same bathroom all day....doctors, male nurses, front-line staff, administrators, etc, and the toilet wasn't fixed in a timely fashion. Not good.
We always teach people in our Five-Star training seminars to look at your practice or hospital through the eyes of your patients and families. From the phones and waiting room, to the exam room, to discharge and billing issues. Find the frustration points - or gag points in this instance - and eliminate them, quickly! Make sure all of your people know Five-Star is important, and if they see something wrong to either fix it (lost family member wandering the halls) or call for help (get the plumber to fix the broken urinal). Turning a blind eye is no longer acceptable!!
We want to build strong, loyal relationships with patients and families pre-event, and we don't want messy bathrooms to leave our customers with the impression that this hospital stinks!!
The Sorry Works!-Stevens & Lee team can help with all your Five-Star needs, including practice assessments, presentations, and trainings, so call us today at 618-559-8168 or doug@sorryworks.net. We can help you embrace Five- Star!
Sincerely,
- Doug
Doug Wojcieszak, Founder Sorry Works! PO Box 531 Glen Carbon, IL 62034 618-559-8168 (direct dial)