Patient-centered communication: an extension of the HCAHPS survey

Patient-healthcare Professional Dialog from the Patient's Perspective: Concept Analysis Based on Literature Review

Patient communication with healthcare professionals regarding their health is essential for patient engagement in healthcare; however, some medical professionals do not facilitate this process. This study aimed to analyze the concept of patient-healthcare professional dialog from the patient perspective, using Walker and Avant's eight stage methodology. The findings show that patient-healthcare professional dialog can be defined as the process in which patients exchange and share opinions with healthcare professionals who stay close to them, fostering a trusting partnership, while participating in the decision-making process regarding their medical care. The identified antecedents for dialog were the need for communication, time and space for dialog, and being acquainted with each other. Dialog determined the emergence of a desire for recovery and feelings of reassurance. This concept analysis has proven useful to understand patients in their entirety as individuals. It introduces a new framework for communication training programs, promoting patients' active involvement in their healthcare.

National Patient Satisfaction Survey as a Predictor for Quality of Care and Quality Improvement - Experience and Practice

Background

Patient satisfaction is an important predictor of quality of care and hospital services. Patient satisfaction survey provides not only valuable insight into patient experience of care but also evidence that guides quality improvement in both system and organization levels. The paper aims to prove the value of system-wide satisfaction survey of patients and demonstrate whether data collected from a national patient satisfaction survey in three-year period can predict trends in patient experience of care.

Methods

Patient satisfaction data of 148 hospitals were extracted from the annual National Public Hospital Patient Satisfaction Survey (NPHPSS) for Shandong Province between 2019 and 2021. Pearson test or Spearman test was performed to clarify the differences in satisfaction and relationship between variables. A linear regression model was established to describe the impact of variables on satisfaction.

Results

From 2019 to 2021, there was a significant enhancement in overall patient satisfaction, particularly in communication areas, for both outpatients and inpatients (p = 0.000). A strong and positive correlation between outpatient and inpatient satisfaction was observed over three years (p = 0.000). However, outpatients reported lower satisfaction than inpatients regarding the hospital environment and communication (p < 0.05). Patient care experiences also varied across different hospital categories. In addition, the maturity of the Health Information Management System (HIMS) positively influenced inpatient satisfaction (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

A nationwide patient satisfaction survey can predict benefits of quality improvement initiatives and identify changing trends in the quality of hospital care. The strong correlation between outpatient and inpatient satisfaction underscores the importance of consistent medical service quality across the hospitals. HIMS upgrades are a worthwhile investment in enhancing patient experiences in public hospitals. Tailoring service improvement strategies to specific hospital contexts, such as type, location, and patient demographics, is crucial.

A scale for measuring healthcare service quality incorporating patient-centred care and using a psychometric analytics framework

PURPOSE

Recent developments in healthcare contexts increasingly emphasize patient-centred approaches to service quality measures; however, few studies consider this dimension explicitly. The present study develops and psychometrically validates a scale of healthcare service quality explicitly incorporating a patient-centred care dimension from a communicational perspective. The paper also enriches the traditional content of service quality by including equity items and presents the underlying structure of service quality in an emerging country.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

The final sample consisted of 869 healthcare users (complete cases in the service quality items derived from 917 surveys received) from Colombia. The authors used a psychometric analytics framework comprising seven processes incorporating exploratory factor analysis, structural equation modelling, and machine learning methods to examine construct plausibility, reliability, construct validity, equity, and criterion/predictive validity (e.g. explaining/predicting subjective well-being and behavioural intentions).

FINDINGS

The final scale consists of 17 items and satisfies all psychometric properties. Its validation allows for the discovery and psychometrical confirmation of two essential dimensions: patient-centred communication (eight items) and process quality (nine items).

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

The authors illustrate three practical uses of the scale: the possibility for diagnoses; hypothesis contrast based on confidence intervals; and estimation of the capacity of the service to satisfy specifications.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

Both dimensions reveal users' relevant needs and complement previous studies that have focused on process aspects of healthcare service quality.