Literature Search Plan

Introduction

This literature search plan explains the researcher’s plan of action in gathering information and reviewing existing literature on the subject of patient satisfaction through the Medicare program called Patient Satisfaction Survey (Health Resources and Services Administration). Current literature on the institutions that implemented the project and feedback from different stakeholders could shed light on the effectiveness of the project vis-à-vis the intent for its launch.

Patient satisfaction on the kind of service received from health care institutions like hospitals could be determined through the survey tool formulated by Medicare (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2007). Hospitals who implement the program would be able to churn out a good number of accomplished survey forms on a daily basis (Kowalczyk, 2005; Fahy, 2008). Research on data from such institutions would, therefore, be very helpful in gaining insight into the kind of performance that a hospital is able to give to its patients. Order your legit essay.

Purpose of the Literature Review

The literature review could give answers to a lot of heretofore unanswered questions concerning various aspects of the healthcare industry, such as the speed with which a patient’s call is attended to by a health care professional, the degree of attention given by a physician to a patient’s concerns, and the cleanliness of health care facilities (Kowalczyk, 2005; Skehan & Petrillo, 2003).

Since the Medicare Survey, particularly the questions and answers, would be posted on its website in an effort to push hospitals into improving health care and promote quality service delivery (Kowalczyk, 2005; Skehan & Petrillo, 2003), current literature could help paint a picture of the state of health services being given to patients across the United States today.

Existing literature could also show how far the implementation of the project has come through, especially the institutions that have adopted and enforced the program. A particular question that needs to be addressed by the literature is the effect of the survey results on the perception and belief of patients on the hospitals they choose to serve their medical needs. Thus, it is important that the facts to be gathered include tables, graphs, and statistics that would show the general trend and effect of the survey results on the mindset of the patients.

Databases from the university and government and Internet-based references could be the primary sources of information on this subject. The use of specific keywords would make the task easier. Thus, keywords such as patient satisfaction, Medicare, and performance measurement, would be used in the preliminary research. Thereafter, Boolean operators and limiting searches would be conducted to narrow down the search.

Conclusion

Since the program is a relatively new one, there might be difficulty in gathering data. Nevertheless, Internet-based research and database review could provide relevant data on the specific questions on the subject. A month of research could yield a lot of information where concrete conclusions can be drawn.

References

• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2007). HCAHPS: Patient’s Perspectives of Care Survey. Retrieved July 13, 2008, from http://www.cms.hhs.gov/hospitalqualityinits/30_hospitalhcahps.asp
• Fahy, J. (2008). Medicare ad campaign targets consumer satisfaction. Pittsburgh Post- Gazette. Retrieved July 13, 2008, from http://www.post- gazette.com/pg/08142/883361-114.stm
• Health Resources and Services Administration. The Health Center Program: Health Center Patient Satisfaction Survey. Retrieved July 18, 2008, from http://bphc.hrsa.gov/patientsurvey/
• Kowalczyk, L. (2005). Hospitals set to make patient survey results public. The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 13, 2008, from http://www.boston.com/business/healthcare/articles/2005/11/23/hospitals_set_to _mak e_patient_survey_results_public/
• Skehan, K. & Petrillo, M. K. (2003). Home Health Patient Satisfaction: A National View of Public Reporting. Retrieved July 13, 2008, from http://www.health.state.ri.us/chic/performance/quality/quality18.pdf