UNF Brooks College teams up with Brooks Rehabilitation on patient satisfaction study

Jacksonville, Fla. – The University of North Florida Brooks College of Health partnered with Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital to conduct a retrospective longitudinal study on patient satisfaction at the Brooks inpatient rehab facilities. The paper, titled “What Determinants Affect Inpatient Satisfaction in a Post-Acute Care Rehabilitation Hospital?” was recently published in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. This research was supported by the UNF Brooks Professorship Grant.

The study was a collaborative effort between UNF Department of Health Administration faculty, Sinyoung Park, PhD, and Jasper Xu, PhD, and Brooks Rehabilitation researchers Raine Osborne, PT, DPT, EdD, former Director of Brooks Research, and Mindi R. Manes, PhD, Manager of Health & Business Analytics.

The goal of the study was to examine how specific hospital service factors such as personal issues (i.e., patients’ opinions on staff promptness and sensitivity, pain management, explanation upon arrival regarding hospital stay procedures, degree of safety and security, etc.), hospital food, patient care and hospital discharge influence patient satisfaction scores.

A total of 4,785 patients participated in the inpatient rehabilitation survey with the main outcome measures being final patient satisfaction scores, overall rating of care during their stay, and willingness to recommend the hospital to others.

Results showed that the personal issues domain, which focuses on needs and concerns specific to the patient, was the most important factor in determining overall patient satisfaction, followed by patient care, hospital discharge planning and food services. Within the personal issues domain score, staff promptness and explanation upon arrival were identified as the areas that would result in the greatest positive impact.

“Projects like this are exciting for our organization because they provide important data that helps us continuously improve the care we are able to provide to our patients,” said Victor DeRienzo, Chief Operating Officer for the Brooks Aging Services and Outpatient divisions.
The study revealed major determinants of positive patient experience in the inpatient setting and provided actionable data that will guide improvements and increase patient satisfaction scores and quality of care in the future.

“I am particularly excited about the success of this project as it has helped develop a strong collaborative research relationship between the UNF Department of Health Administration and Brooks’ Center for Data Solutions,” said Dr. Osborne. “I believe this relationship opens the door for many future efforts in the area of rehabilitation-focused health services research for the Brooks System of Care.

Read the full paper in the “Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.”

About Brooks Rehabilitation

For more than 50 years, Brooks Rehabilitation, headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., has been a comprehensive source for physical rehabilitation services. As a nonprofit organization, Brooks operates one of the nation’s largest inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in the U.S. with 160 beds, a second 60-bed inpatient hospital that opened in April 2022, and a Center for Inpatient Rehabilitation in partnership with Halifax Health in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Brooks also has one of the region’s largest home healthcare agencies, more than 40 outpatient therapy clinics, the Brooks Rehabilitation Medical Group, two skilled nursing facilities, assisted living and memory care. Brooks will treat more than 60,000 patients through its system of care each year. In addition, Brooks operates the Clinical Research Center, which specializes in research to advance the science of rehabilitation. Brooks also provides many low- or no-cost community programs and services to improve the quality of life for people living with physical disabilities.

About University of North Florida

The University of North Florida is a nationally ranked university located on a beautiful 1,381-acre campus in Jacksonville surrounded by nature. Serving 17,000 students, UNF features six colleges of distinction with innovative programs in high-demand fields. UNF students receive individualized attention from faculty and gain valuable real-world experience engaging with community partners. A top public university, UNF prepares students to make a difference in Florida and around the globe. Learn more at www.unf.edu.