Negotiation Strategies for Patient Welfare

Patient welfare is the prime objective of Medical and Psychiatric Social Workers. Trained professional Social Workers contribute significantly to the well-being of patients by acting as a link between hospital team and patient and family. This study aims to describe key negotiation strategies used by the Medical and Psychiatric Social Work team and its effect on patient welfare in a tertiary care hospital. The Study was conducted among approximately 75,000 patients who had been admitted for medical and surgical interventions in a multispecialty hospital.  A structured questionnaire was used to collect the quantitative data from approximately 15,000 patients who represented the in-patients. The data had been collected for two years duration; combined quantitative and qualitative data from patients and hospital staff were used for the study. Members of Medical Social Work team were actively involved in collecting feedback from admitted patients. They discussed the same feedback with the operational team of the hospital and tried to influence the hospital policy. A collective effort led to significant improvement in patient satisfaction score. Relationship with patients and hospital management and use of research skills are essential to enhance the negotiation abilities of Social Workers in the hospital sector. Negotiation for patient welfare will help Social Workers to add values to hospital management and patient satisfaction.