Case Studies

Large University-based Medical Center Case Study University-based medical center improves brand image and patient satisfaction with custom uniform program Powered by SmartScrubs Challenges Walk into this large university-based medical center in 2010, and you'd be greeted by a cornucopia of different scrub colors and prints. When administrators started seeing sweatshirts and T-shirts on their employees, they knew it was time for a change. "That wasn't really the look we wanted to put out there to brand us," the nursing director explains. A local university had just acquired the hospital, and administrators wanted their staff to project an image reflective of their affiliation with the world-renowned university. Perhaps more importantly, administrators had also received complaints from patients about their bedside care. "They would say, 'I asked the nurse for this or that and she never came,'" the nursing director recalls. As she and her colleagues looked into the complaints, they started realizing that many of the patients may not have actually asked "the nurse." To confirm their theory, they conducted a survey and found that patients did not know who was in their room and if that person was a nurse. With evidence of patient satisfaction affected, and the potential for safety concerns, the nursing director began looking into a color-coded uniform program. The medical center decided to roll out the program with their nurses first. Uniform policies aren't always popular with employees, and this was no different. The nurses questioned the need for a dress code, and the nursing director knew she needed a way to gain their buy-in or morale may suffer. "Any vendor that is willing to grow with you and really accommodate and help you achieve your outcomes and partner with you … that's a vendor that we want to keep working with." Nursing Director Challenges • Present a brand image more fitting of a world-renowned university • Improve patient satisfaction • Gain staff buy-in • Find a vendor able to meet custom needs Solutions • Initiate a color-coded uniform program with custom logo embroidery • Share patient satisfaction survey results with staff • Hold a fashion show and allow employees to vote on styles and colors • Employ SmartScrubs to create a custom size, color and style • Enable employees to order their uniforms on the SmartScrubs custom uniform portal • Use SmartScrubs' multi-location delivery options to ship uniforms directly to employees' homes Results • More than 3,000 employees in at least 20 departments wear color-coded uniforms with logo embroidery • Nurses outfitted in custom-made brand color • Sense of pride among medical center staff • Higher patient satisfaction scores • Improved staff identifiability for visiting physicians • Independent ordering ability for staff and less time required of administrators

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