Hospitalization from the patient perspective: A data linkage study of adults in Australia

TY - JOUR

T1 - Hospitalization from the patient perspective

T2 - A data linkage study of adults in Australia

AU - Harrison, Reema

AU - Walton, Merrilyn

AU - Kelly, Patrick

AU - Manias, Elizabeth

AU - Jorm, Christine

AU - Smith-Merry, Jennifer

AU - Iedema, Rick

AU - Luxford, Karen

AU - Dyda, Amalie

PY - 2018/6

Y1 - 2018/6

N2 - Objective: Evidence of the patient experience of hospitalization is an essential component of health policy and service improvement but studies often lack a representative population sample or do not examine the influence of patient and hospital characteristics on experiences. We address these gaps by investigating the experiences of a large cohort of recently hospitalized patients aged 45 years and over in New South Wales (NSW), Australia who were identified using data linkage. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Hospitals in NSW, Australia. Participants: The Picker Patient Experience Survey (PPE-15) was administered to a random sample of 20 000 patients hospitalized between January and June 2014. Main outcome measure: Multivariable negative binomial regression was used to investigate factors associated with a higher PPE-15 score. Results: There was a 40% response rate (7661 completed surveys received). Respondents often reported a positive experience of being treated with dignity and respect, yet almost 40% wanted to be more involved in decisions about their care. Some respondents identified other problematic aspects of care such as receiving conflicting information from different care providers (18%) and feeling that doctors spoke in front of them as if they were not there (14%). Having an unplanned admission or having an adverse event were both very strongly associated with a poorer patient experience (P < 0.001). No other factors were found to be associated. Conclusions: Patient involvement in decision-making about care was highlighted as an important area for improvement. Further work is needed to address the challenges experienced by patients, carers and health professionals in achieving a genuine partnership model.

AB - Objective: Evidence of the patient experience of hospitalization is an essential component of health policy and service improvement but studies often lack a representative population sample or do not examine the influence of patient and hospital characteristics on experiences. We address these gaps by investigating the experiences of a large cohort of recently hospitalized patients aged 45 years and over in New South Wales (NSW), Australia who were identified using data linkage. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Hospitals in NSW, Australia. Participants: The Picker Patient Experience Survey (PPE-15) was administered to a random sample of 20 000 patients hospitalized between January and June 2014. Main outcome measure: Multivariable negative binomial regression was used to investigate factors associated with a higher PPE-15 score. Results: There was a 40% response rate (7661 completed surveys received). Respondents often reported a positive experience of being treated with dignity and respect, yet almost 40% wanted to be more involved in decisions about their care. Some respondents identified other problematic aspects of care such as receiving conflicting information from different care providers (18%) and feeling that doctors spoke in front of them as if they were not there (14%). Having an unplanned admission or having an adverse event were both very strongly associated with a poorer patient experience (P < 0.001). No other factors were found to be associated. Conclusions: Patient involvement in decision-making about care was highlighted as an important area for improvement. Further work is needed to address the challenges experienced by patients, carers and health professionals in achieving a genuine partnership model.

KW - Hospital patients

KW - Patient experience

KW - Patient surveys

KW - Patient-centred care

KW - Picker Patient Experience Survey

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85051545769

U2 - 10.1093/intqhc/mzy024

DO - 10.1093/intqhc/mzy024

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85051545769

SN - 1353-4505

VL - 30

SP - 358

EP - 365

JO - International Journal for Quality in Health Care

JF - International Journal for Quality in Health Care

IS - 5

ER -