The Impact of a Parent Brochure on Perceptions of Their Child’s Hospitalization

Background and Objective: The primary purpose of family-centered rounds (FCR) is to improve communication and family satisfaction with care. However, hospital satisfaction surveys continue to identify parental concerns about communication with the medical team. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of a new “Division of Hospital Medicine” brochure on parent (ie, caregiver) identification of physician names, understanding of FCR, and overall satisfaction with the hospitalist team.

Methods A prospective cohort study with historical controls compared parent responses on anonymous, self-administered predischarge surveys, before and after brochure implementation. A trifold brochure to explain physician roles, identify names of the attending and intern, and describe the purpose of FCR was provided to parents on admission. It included a photo card of hospitalist attending physicians and explanations of the role of a hospitalist and FCR. The brochure was available in English and Spanish.

Results The overall response rate was 83% (183 of 220). The intervention group of parents identified physician names more accurately and felt more comfortable in FCR, but there was no significant difference in satisfaction. There were no difference between the control and intervention groups in relation to language, inpatient transfer, or length of stay, but the preintervention group did include more patients never before hospitalized.

Conclusions An informational brochure is a simple tool to improve physician identification and caregiver comfort with FCR. However, further research should explore other factors contributing to family satisfaction during hospitalization and the use of electronic media to provide the same information to families.