
#Happy endings nursing home trial
Although both trials featured 60 seconds of identical pain, the second trial added 30 seconds of reduced pain at the end (the water warmed slightly between 60 and 90 seconds). The researchers found that shorter colonoscopies with more painful endings were recalled as being worse than longer colonoscopies that ended with less unpleasantness (even if substantially more pain was delivered throughout the entire experience).Īnother experiment had participants submerge their hands into frigid water for set amounts of time. From these studies, the “peak end rule” was discovered: a person’s remembered experience is primarily determined by the moment of greatest intensity (the peak) and how the experience culminated (the end). Daniel Kahneman and his colleagues completed studies of various patient experiences during colonoscopies and other painful or unpleasant procedures. They should guide what we do and how we do it. Endings hold the power to change thinking and redirect actions. Nurses are highly educated in the whys, whats, and how-tos of task completion, but we receive little guidance in the crucial impact of timing in the successful completion of patient encounters.

In this era of value-based care, an organization’s success hinges on patients’ perceived quality of their experience and care. In other words, a patient’s perception of the end of an encounter can create lasting impressions. How do these types of experiences affect human health? Research shows that people tend to recall the most unpleasant portion of an experience and how it ended with greater detail than a cumulative event as a whole. The patient felt that the provider was in a hurry to move on to the next patient. When questioned further, she vividly recalled the absolute worst part of this recent medical experience: It’s abrupt and unfortunate ending. “I FELT INVISIBLE,” responded a patient when asked about her recent experience with a new healthcare provider. Nurses should equip themselves to ensure meaningful endings for patients and also themselves.Encounter endings hold extraordinary impact when recalled.Why wrapping up well is essential for nurses and beneficial to patients. Author Guidelines and Manuscript Submission.
