Patient satisfaction has become an established indicator of safe quality care, as well as a central theme in highly competitive health care environments. Those providers, who can establish market differentiation based on service, quality and safety will continue to grow, prosper and thrive in the 21st century.

To flourish in this competitive environment, organizations must incorporate patient and family expectations and perceptions of quality care into the care experience. Patient/family reaction to and satisfaction with care, treatments and service is an important predictor of overall satisfaction with hospital care. The Caring Model™ is designed to create an awareness of the daily contribution of all caregivers to the patient/family experience. The interconnection of this relationship and the congruence with the mission vision and values of the organization is fundamental to the conceptual framework of the model.

Patient satisfaction is related to the ordinary human virtues of communication, sensitivity, respect, dependability, trust and personalized care and service. Satisfaction is largely based on the perceptions of the care givers affective behavior toward the patient and family. Healthy interpersonal relationships with patients/families and caregivers is an expected competency in successful health care organizations.

Caring personalizes care, treatment and service; allows another to understand the meaning an event has in the life of another; and directs the caregiver-patient-family interactions. Intentional caring happens through caregivers in their relationship with the patient/family. A caregiver is defined as “anyone” regardless of job who provides care, treatment or service in the patient/family experience.

Care must be delivered in congruence with the patients perceptions of quality in order to improve services, patient well being, patient safety and improved patient outcomes. The Caring Model™ promotes elements fundamental to optimal caring and healing work environments where patients/families want to receive care, where health and well being of caregivers is supported and where the health care experience is one of caring and healing.