Redesign for patient satisfaction.

In this era of changing health care systems, the word redesign is often linked with mergers, layoffs, or an economic move to balance the bottom line. Redesign is often perceived as a way to reduce the need for professional nurses by eliminating job functions. In this cost-cutting milieu, however, the most important factor--the patient--has been put aside. The article explores what factors contribute to patient satisfaction and describes the redesign process that was implemented at one institution to increase patients' satisfaction during hospitalization.