Outcomes study of a customer relations educational program in dialysis practice

In the fall of 2003, a customer relations staff educational program was instituted for use throughout Renal Care Group. After 1 year and 4 months, an outcomes study was implemented to evaluate and revise the program. The program is taught by the dialysis social worker to the rest of the dialysis health-care team to increase customer relations skills with the patients, their families, and dialysis coworkers. Today, more than ever, patients are seeking better quality health care not only in technical skills but also in compassionate care. Pretest and posttest scores from each training session indicated the necessity of this training and knowledge gained. Through a survey of instructors, strengths of the program were identified, as well as were areas that needed revision. In addition to providing helpful information, some of the main strengths of the program indicated by instructors were team building and problem solving. Revisions consisted primarily of shortening the modules and simplifying the program's use.