RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Gaining ‘real-time’ feedback to influence patient and family care
JF BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care
JO BMJ Support Palliat Care
FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group
SP 200
OP 200
DO 10.1136/bmjspcare-2011-000100.4
VO 1
IS 2
A1 Gillian Horne
A1 Jane Biggs
YR 2011
UL http://spcare.bmj.com/content/1/2/200.1.abstract
AB Introduction Gaining meaningful feedback about service user experience when patients are at the end of life can be difficult. The hospice through its relationship with the local primary care trust won a competition hosted by Picker Institute Europe and Fr3dom Health Solutions. The award enabled the development of patient, relative and public experience surveys. Aims To design specific user experience surveys which are easy to administer, would provide meaningful feedback to enhance quality of care and inform future service developments. Methods Five surveys were designed by clinical teams with the help of Picker Institute Europe. Surveys were designed to be relevant to each clinical area. Hospice volunteers were trained in administering the electronic surveys. A survey about the inpatient discharge process was administered through SMS text messaging. The community survey was administered in written format with an option to complete on-line. Results Results are providing useful feedback on inpatient and family experience of involvement in decisions about care, dignity, choice in food and help in eating, cleanliness and noise of the environment. Community survey results are providing us with feedback on patient experience on the effectiveness of symptom management and public surveys have provided peoples views on access to and knowledge of the hospice. The informal verbal comments given to volunteers are helpful in seeking to meet needs not picked up by the survey. Discussion Results are providing useful information about different aspects of our service, which may not have been possible using standard written surveys. Staff and patients have commented on the ‘professionalism’ of the volunteers in administering the surveys and volunteers have enjoyed being involved in this project. Conclusion The use of bespoke surveys using electronic devices, administered by trained volunteers, is an effective way of gaining feedback from a variety of service users.