Abstract
BackgroundPatient experience is recognised as a quality of care indicator and increasingly health services are working on achieving set targets and improving their performance. Interventions at the point of care targeting communication with patients, patient engagement in care processes and discharge planning are associated with better patient experience. However, their efficacy and application to different contexts are still unclear. The aims were to describe the interventions implemented by health services to improve patient experience, their impact on overall patient experiences and specific experiences in areas of communication, discharge planning, patient education on treatment/tests, the physical environment and access to care.MethodsSecondary data analysis of the Victorian Healthcare Experience inpatient surveys reported in September 2016 and 2018 and content analysis of interventions published in the Victorian Quality Account for 2017 from 59 public health services in Victoria, Australia. The interventions were categorised using an adapted taxonomy of professional interventions by the Cochrane EPOC Review Group. Univariate tests and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to test measure invariance across the 2016 and 2018 groups and examine the association between each of the intervention categories on overall patient experience measure and specific outcome measures.ResultsThis study found that the overall patient experience was consistent (93%) between 2016 and 2018 samples. In comparing impact, a single intervention rather than none or multiple interventions in communication, respect and dignity and treatment and disease education areas were associated with a higher level of the overall patient experience. Interventions in waiting time, access to service, care continuity and emotional support categories were associated with a decrease in overall patient experience.ConclusionThis study found that to improve the overall patient experience, more focus is needed on evidence-based interventions in dignity and respect and emotional support. Furthermore, the choice of interventions should be guided by evidence of their efficacy and prioritising implementing one intervention well, provides more gains.
Highlights
Patient experience is recognised as a quality of care indicator and increasingly health services are working on achieving set targets and improving their performance
This study aimed to address this gap by evaluating the interventions used by public health services in Victoria to improve the experience of their patients, as indicated in outcome measures
In examining the categories and effect of interventions reported by health services in 2017, differences were found on the overall patient experience and specific outcome measures in the 2018 Victorian Healthcare Experience Survey (VHES) scores
Summary
Patient experience is recognised as a quality of care indicator and increasingly health services are working on achieving set targets and improving their performance. Consistent positive associations have been found between good patient experiences and clinical benefits (i.e. health outcomes, adherence to medications, and increased self-management) [4,5,6,7] and with healthcare cost reductions in areas such as reduced readmissions and length of stay [8,9,10]. This acknowledgment of patient experience as a key quality indicator of healthcare is reflected in the growing literature on the efficacy of interventions. This suggests that interventions at the point of care, with a direct link to how patients experience the care delivery, could be more effective, as patient experience measures were designed and focused on what happens during the health care delivery interaction
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