Health Policy Commons^™

Engaging Under- And/Or Never-Engaged Populations In Health Services: A Systematic Review, Lesley Moody, Erica Bridge, Vidhi Thakkar, Naomi Peek, Tanvi Patel, Suman Dhanju, Simron Singh

Patient Experience Journal

Patient engagement is a mechanism used to facilitate person-centred care, however, has not been realized in all patient populations. Often, many marginalized populations still remain under- and/or never-engaged. The purpose of this systematic review was to: 1) identify methods or interventions that have been used to engage under- and/or never-engaged populations in health services and 2) identify outcomes that are associated with engaging under- and/or never-engaged populations in health services. A comprehensive search using the Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL databases was conducted to examine literature between January 2002 and January 2015. Twenty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Data was …

Awakening From A Medical Mystery: One Patient’S Experience Of Being Undiagnosed, Dwane Unruh

Patient Experience Journal

This personal narrative pleads for a supportive and comprehensive system or sub-system similar to that which exists for cancer patients, to deal with undiagnosed illnesses. By describing the torment of living with a debilitating illness that medicine could not easily recognize, then by contrasting this experience with my wife’s experience of the cancer care system, and by referring along the way to lessons learned many years ago from reading the works of the inciteful neurologist, Dr. Oliver Sacks, I hope to inspire the medical system to develop a separate, supportive and comprehensive system to deal with the undiagnosed. As it …

The Future Of Patient Experience: Five Thoughts On Where We Must Go From Here, Jason A. Wolf Phd, Cpxp

Patient Experience Journal

In looking to the future, we must never forget it is grounded in today and the steps that brought us to this point. Those efforts and actions that led to where we stand now set the foundation for all we can do and what we will accomplish as we look to the future. This idea of not looking too far ahead without knowing where you stand is fundamental in human nature. Far too often we have let our gaze to the future miss the people right in front of us or overlook the significance of the moment in which we …

Call For Submissions Special Issue - July 2020: Patient & Family Experience In Behavioral Health, Patient Experience Journal

Patient Experience Journal

Patient Experience Journal (PXJ) is excited to announce the call for submissions for its July 2020 special issue on the topic of patient & family experience in behavioral health. With a continued focus on the critical role of behavioral health in society today and a growing recognition of the importance of experience for those in behavioral health settings, a conversation on the practices in place and the identification of evidence of efforts leading to positive outcomes will be essential expanding the experience conversation in this setting. This special issue is open to all authors conducting cutting-edge research, implementing innovative practices …

“Anyone Can Co-Design?”: A Case Study Synthesis Of Six Experience-Based Co-Design (Ebcd) Projects For Healthcare Systems Improvement In New South Wales, Australia, Tara L. Dimopoulos-Bick, Claire O'Connor, Jane Montgomery, Tracey Szanto, Marion Fisher, Violeta Sutherland, Helen Baines, Phillip Orcher, John Stubbs, Lynne Maher, Raj Verma, Victoria J. Palmer

Patient Experience Journal

Experience-based co-design (EBCD) is a quality improvement approach that is being used internationally to bring service users and health professionals together to improve healthcare experiences, systems and processes. Early evaluations and case studies of EBCD have shown promise in terms of improvements to experience and organisational processes, however challenges remain in participation around shared power and decision making, mobilisation for implementation, sustainment of improvements and measurement of outcomes. The objective of this case study was to explore the emergent issues in EBCD participation and implementation in six quality improvement projects conducted in mental health, rehabilitation, blood and bone marrow transplant, …

A Next-Day, Brief E-Survey Overcomes The Excessive Variability Seen In Cahps-Style Emergency Department Surveys So That Individual Physician Performance Can Be Assessed On A Regular Basis, Tom Scaletta, Eva Hare, Christopher Sung Lee

Patient Experience Journal

Traditional CAHPS-style emergency department (ED) surveys result in excessive variability when assessing individual physician performance. The objective of this study is to measure the variability of a brief, electronic survey (e-survey). The study team also measured the association of individual physicians to demographic data, physician and patient factors, and a physician burnout assessment tool. Data from SmartContact (SmartER, La Grange, IL) is a next-day, e-survey that takes about 30-seconds to complete. This tool was used by a hospital-employed emergency department (ED) group during calendar year 2017 across 2 EDs and 37 physicians.^1,2 Variability was estimated regarding raw patient experience …

How Do Healthcare Staff Respond To Patient Experience Feedback Online? A Typology Of Responses Published On Care Opinion, Lauren Paige Ramsey, Laura Sheard Dr, Rebecca Lawton Professor, Jane O'Hara Dr

Patient Experience Journal

Patients are increasingly describing their healthcare experiences publicly online. This has been facilitated by digital technology, a growing focus on transparency in healthcare and the emergence of a feedback culture in many sectors. Due to this area being previously unexplored, the objective of this study was to identify a typology of responses that healthcare staff provide on Care Opinion (www.careopinion.org.uk), a not-for-profit online platform on which patients are able to provide narrative feedback about health and social care in the UK. Framework analysis was used to qualitatively analyse a purposive sample of 486 stories regarding hospital care, and their 475 …

The Digital Revolution Will See You Now: Transforming Patient Experience In The Digital Era, Emily Kagan Trenchard, Laura Semlies, Sven Gierlinger

Patient Experience Journal

Industry after industry has reinvented itself in response to upstart challengers and shifting consumer expectations that are the hallmarks of this new era. The same is true in healthcare, where we have weathered the introduction of the electronic medical records, patient portals and now interoperability. But to date our industry’s digital transformation has been guided largely by government regulation – leaving the design of the future of healthcare to be driven by policy makers and executed largely by IT departments. Meanwhile, most other industries have turned to a different guru for inspiration and guidance: the consumer. Northwell Health has undertaken …

Technology, Innovation And Transforming Healthcare Faster, Smarter And Together: A Conversation With Dr. Rasu Shrestha, Jason A. Wolf Phd, Cpxp

Patient Experience Journal

As part of our special issue on Innovation and Technology we had the pleasure of speaking with a visionary leader, Physician and healthcare executive, Dr. Rasu Shrestha, executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Atrium Health. In the conversation with Dr. Shrestha we were able to cover the foundational ideas of innovation and technology. We also explored its opportunities and potential pitfalls. Ultimately, we looked at the topic through the lenses of the human experience we provide in healthcare and how through a clear focus on experience and the effective integration of innovation and technology in those efforts, we …

Transformations In Health Information Technology And The Impact On Patient Experience, Cynthia J. Sieck Phd, Mph, Tim R. Huerta Phd, Ms

Patient Experience Journal

Changes in the way we collect and use health information, and the technology that enables these processes, have transformed the patient experience in health care. Compared to an earlier focus on using health information technology (HIT) for clinical purposes, patients are now also significant users of HIT, spurring the development of Patient-Facing Health Information Technology (PFHIT). These tools allow patients to use and interact with their health information and healthcare providers is new and transformative ways. We suggest that while these transformations have significant positive impacts, there are three important considerations which must be included as HIT continues to evolve: …

Reframing Innovation And Technology For Healthcare: A Commitment To The Human Experience, Jason A. Wolf Phd, Cpxp

Patient Experience Journal

This latest special issue of Patient Experience Journal focuses on the role of technology and innovation in patient experience. The articles included in this issue help us think about the ideas of innovation and health information technology (HIT) in some new and interesting ways. They also have us push the boundaries of what has framed what innovation and technology application look like in healthcare today. With this perspective, we explore the idea that HIT is not simply a process improvement tool; it is a means to elevate the human interactions at the heart of healthcare. Simultaneously in healthcare, innovation has …

Nhs England Always Events® Program: Developing A National Model For Co-Production, Claire Marshall, Angela Zambeaux, Esther Ainley, David Mcnally, Jenny King Miss, Lorraine Wolfenden, Helen Lee

Patient Experience Journal

NHS England, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Picker and NHS Improvement started the work described in this article to strengthen how patients, carers and staff working together in co-design and co-production can make a real difference in improving experience of care. Always Events®, which is an improvement methodology for the co-design and consistent implementation of those aspects of patient experience that matter most to patients in a health care setting, was chosen. The approach has been to first test the methodology with three organizations then to spread to a substantial proportion of acute health care providers, with concurrent scale-up within …

A Case Study Of The Patient Wait Experience In An Emergency Department With Therapy Dogs, Colleen A. Dell, James Stempien, Lindsey Broberg, Alicia Husband, Lacey Jurke, Betty Rohr, Jane Smith, Joseph Rubin, Susan Tupper, Donna Goodridge, Cathie Fornssler, Logan Fele-Slaferek

Patient Experience Journal

The quality of patient healthcare is a growing concern in Canada’s hospital emergency departments (ED) due to increasing wait times and associated adverse outcomes. A developing body of literature indicates that therapy dogs can positively impact the patient experience. In 2016, members of our team partnered with the Royal University Hospital (RUH) in Saskatchewan to become the first ED in Canada to integrate a visiting therapy dog to positively impact the patient wait experience. The aim of this preliminary case study was to examine if and how this unique initiative impacted patients’ feelings during their ED wait. A brief questionnaire …

Comparing Psychiatric Care Experiences Shared Online With Validated Questionnaires; Do They Include The Same Content?, Rebecca Baines, John Donovan, Samantha Regan De Bere, Julian Archer, Ray Jones

Patient Experience Journal

Patient feedback is considered integral to patient safety and quality of care. However, limited research has compared the content of validated questionnaires with subjective patient experiences shared online. The aim of this study was to therefore identify and compare the content of psychiatric care experiences shared online with validated questionnaires. All research was conducted in co-production with a volunteer mental-health-patient-research-partner. We analysed all reviews published on the United Kingdom’s leading health and social care feedback platform Care Opinion, between 2005-2017 that discussed adult psychiatric care and compared findings with two validated questionnaires (ACP360 and General Medical Council patient feedback questionnaire). …

“Can I Still Get A Tattoo?” Patients’ Experiences Across The Clinical Trajectory For Metastatic Melanoma: A Dynamic Narrative Model Of Patient Journey, Klay Lamprell, Melvin Chin, Jeffrey Braithwaite

Patient Experience Journal

Advanced and metastatic cancer has a complex diagnostic and management profile that places a heavy long-term burden on patients and healthcare systems. Little attention has been given to patients’ experiences across their entire clinical journey. Using a qualitative, longitudinal methodology over a ten-month period, we examined the symptom-to-outcome trajectories of seven people attending a medical oncology clinic at a large, public tertiary referral center in Sydney, Australia. Rather than care being experienced as a largely linear progression through diagnosis, treatment and onto surveillance in which life may return to ‘normal’, participants are embedded in a cyclical clinical pathway. Recurrence or …

Patient Perception Of Telephone Follow-Up After Resection For Colorectal Cancer: Is It Time For An Alternative To The Out-Patient Clinic?, Marcus Gilmartin, Nicholas Leaver, George Hall, Helena Fawdry, Seung Lee, James Nicholson, Ramya Kalaiselvan, Raj Rajaganeshan

Patient Experience Journal

The economic reality of modern healthcare provides a timely reminder to clinicians of their duty to provide outstanding and cost-effective care. Although multiple guidelines outline investigation, management and surveillance of colorectal cancer, none advocate a particular delivery method. Nurse-led telephone follow-up in multiple specialties has demonstrated equivalent clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction when compared to traditional outpatient department follow-up. This paper aims to compare nurse-led telephone and outpatient follow-up, following surgical resection of colorectal cancer (CRC), focusing on patient perceptions. This cross-sectional study distributed adapted patient satisfaction questionnaire (PS-Q 18) to patients undergoing surveillance following CRC resection via either nurse-led …

How Have Patients' Experiences Of Cancer Care Been Linked To Survival? A Systematic Review, Saleh A. Alessy, Margreet Lüchtenborg Dr, Elizabeth A. Davies Dr.

Patient Experience Journal

Patient experience of care remains an important indicator of health care quality. Although studies show care experiences are associated with health outcomes for some conditions, the situation for cancer is unclear. New datasets on cancer patients in the US, Canada, and UK linking information on experiences and survival may enable an exploration of any association. This review aimed to identify studies linking any aspect of cancer patients’ experiences to their survival, to inform future analyses. We performed a systematic review using Medline database from January 1998 until March 2018.

The settings included outpatient oncology clinics, primary care, hospitals, and cancer …

Exploring Interventions To Increase Primary Care Providers’ Use Of Self-Management Goals, Nanci Reiland, Kathleen Fitzgerald, Mary E. Maragos

Patient Experience Journal

Accreditors, such as the Joint Commission, consider evidence of patient engagement strategies for awarding Primary Care/Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) accreditation. This project explored the use of brief Motivational Interviewing (MI) training at a local county health center and evaluated the impact on the documented use of self-management goals (SMGs) for patients with diabetes and hypertension. Methods included a professional development program, including an online module, presentation, and educational materials. The goal was to increase providers’ MI knowledge and skills to better construct and document SMGs. The program impact was evaluated by chart review to determine the use of SMGs by …

One Patient's Experiences And Expectations In The Healthcare System: Complicated And Critical Illness With Rare Diagnosis Described By His Advocate, Jennifer Cademartori

Patient Experience Journal

The health care business serves as a profession in the art of human illness. But unlike other businesses there is the human side, the patient experience. These patients are the “customers” receiving the care, but they, unlike customers at a retail store, are vulnerable and scared and must trust their lives in the hands of people they don’t know. The paradigm must change to reflect how the health care business is handled from the eyes of the person receiving the care from the first office visit, through the inpatient stay, to follow up visits. Patient focused training on all levels …

Reframing The Conversation On Patient Experience: Three Considerations, Jason A. Wolf Phd, Cpxp

Patient Experience Journal

In experience, every voice matters, and each of those individual voices are contributing to an ocean of ripples that are positively impacting countless lives. In experience, no one organization owns, nor should claim to own all the answers, but many contribute to the possibilities found in elevating the human experience in healthcare. In experience, when we ensure this is a true strategic focus at the heart of healthcare we will find our way to achieving all the outcomes we aspire to achieve and know are possible in healthcare. This issue helps frame that reality through contributions from around the world …

Effectiveness Of The Communication Model, C.O.N.N.E.C.T., On Patient Experience And Employee Engagement: A Prospective Study, Agnes Barden, Nicole Giammarinaro

Patient Experience Journal

Northwell Health is a large integrated healthcare organization comprised of 66,000+ employees, 23 hospitals and over 650 medical practice locations located geographically across New York State. In an effort to align and structure interactions between patients, families and healthcare professionals, Northwell Health created a communication model, C.O.N.N.E.C.T. This unique, humanistic model is an acronym that stands for: Contact, Opening Greeting, Name/Title, Needs, Explanation, Closing and Thank. This prospective 3-part study explores the impact of the C.O.N.N.E.C.T. model on professional education, engagement and patient experience. A holistic approach was utilized including a pre and post e-learning module assessment, direct observation behavioral …

How Younger Adults With Psychosocial Problems Experienced Person-Centered Health Consultations, Line Soot, Kirsten S. Freund, Jørgen Lous, Mikkel Vass, Lotte Hvas

Patient Experience Journal

Much attention is focused on the social determinants of health. Family medicine is challenged with a growing number of vulnerable persons with psychosocial or lifestyle related problems. The objective of this work was to explore how vulnerable younger adults experience person-centered preventive health consultations with their general practitioner. The design and setting for this work were a secondary qualitative analysis of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Danish general practices. Younger adults (20-45) were consecutively invited to answer a screening questionnaire about psychosocial and lifestyle-related problems when visiting general practice (28 general practitioners (GPs)) for ordinary consultations. The 30% most …

Rules Of Engagement: Strategies Used To Enlist And Retain Underserved Mothers In A Mental Health Intervention, Maureen J. Baker Phd, Rn, Cnl, Beth Perry Black Phd, Rn, Faan, Linda S. Beeber Phd, Pmhcns-Bc, Faan

Patient Experience Journal

Patient engagement has been identified as both a goal and strategy to lower health care costs and improve health care outcomes. However, a lack of consensus and clarity exists as to how the process of patient engagement is implemented in clinical practice. Research addressing the underlying and crucial components of effective patient engagement is limited, leaving a significant gap as to how providers engage patients as active collaborators in their health and health care.

This study provides specific, detailed insight and description into the processes through which advanced practice mental health nurses engaged low-income depressed mothers in a mental health …

Racial/Ethnic And Geographic Differences In Access To A Usual Source Of Care That Follows The Patient-Centered Medical Home Model: Analyses From The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Data, Zo Ramamonjiarivelo, Delawnia Comer-Hagans, Shamly Austin, Karriem Watson, Alicia Kaye Matthews

Patient Experience Journal

This study examined racial and geographic differences in access to a usual source of care (USC) and it further explored these differences among individuals who had a USC that followed the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model. Using cross-sectional data from the Household Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2008-2013), our sample consisted of non-institutionalized US civilians ages 18-85 (n= 146,233; weighted n = 229,487,016). Our analysis included weighted descriptive statistics and weighted logistic regressions. Although 76% of the respondents had a USC, only 11% of them had a USC that followed the PCMH model. Among respondents who had a …

Barriers And Enablers Of Patient And Family Centred Care In An Australian Acute Care Hospital: Perspectives Of Health Managers, Bradley Lloyd, Mark Elkins, Lesley Innes

Patient Experience Journal

The aim of this study was to identify and explore organisational barriers to, and enablers of, patient and family centred care within an Australian acute care hospital from the perspective of that hospital’s management staff. A qualitative study, incorporating purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews was undertaken in a 215-bed metropolitan acute care public hospital in Sydney, Australia. Fifteen health managers from a broad range of professional groups, including Medicine, Nursing, Allied Health and non-clinical services were interviewed. Interview data were recorded, transcribed, and analysed for key themes using the Framework Approach. The key barriers to patient and family centred care …

Improving The Patient Experience Through Patient Portals: Insights From Experienced Portal Users, Cynthia J. Sieck, Jennifer L. Hefner, Ann Scheck Mcalearney

Patient Experience Journal

Background: Patient portals have become part of the ecosystem of care as both patients and providers use them for a range of activities both individually and collaboratively. As patients and providers gain greater experience using portals, their use and needs related to portals may evolve. Objective: This study aimed to learn from experienced patient portal users to improve our understanding of their perspectives on portal use for collaboration and engagement as well as explore how using a portal influenced their experiences with primary care providers. Methods: Qualitative study involving 29 semi-structured interviews with family medicine patients from a large Academic …

Developing The First Pan-Canadian Acute Care Patient Experiences Survey, Salima Hadibhai, Jeanie Lacroix, Kira Leeb

Patient Experience Journal

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) in partnership with stakeholders sought to develop the first pan-Canadian patient experiences survey for inpatient care (CPES-IC). The goal was to provide a national survey standard for comparative patient experience measures to facilitate benchmarking for quality improvement. A cognitive and pilot testing study design was performed using survey data from adult inpatient care settings. Participants included the inter-jurisdictional members (IJ), survey subject matter experts and CIHI (The Group). Cognitive testing of the survey took place in three Canadian jurisdictions in English and French languages. Thirty-nine individuals participated in one-on-one interviews. During pilot testing, …

First, Do No Harm: The Patient's Experience Of Avoidable Suffering As Harm, Ashley Bauer Mha

Patient Experience Journal

Although my entire career has been spent in Patient Experience, nothing I have learned from data, evidence-based practice, or experience-based correlations, has been near as impactful as what I learned from being a patient. This article discusses my own experiences as a patient. I ask readers to consider instances of avoidable suffering as sources of harm that negatively impact patient perceptions, erode trust in care providers and healthcare delivery systems, and create barriers to engaging patients in their care. Recognizing how avoidable suffering creates harm challenges traditional views of Patient Experience as hospitality-based “soft skills” and helps to establish patient …

Elevating The Discourse On Experience In Healthcare’S Uncertain Times, Jason A. Wolf Phd, Cpxp

Patient Experience Journal

Over the last five years, we have been inspired by the breadth of contributions that have helped shape the experience landscape through PXJ as well as the reach that the conversation on patient experience has had. Both the authors and readers of PXJ reinforce that the conversation on patient experience and the human experience in healthcare is not one dominated by national intent or even policy. While for some motivation has come in some part from mandated action, for most tackling this idea in healthcare is it grounded in two core realities. The first, in healthcare at its core we …

Call For Submissions - Special Issue July 2019: The Role Of Technology And Innovation In Patient Experience, Patient Experience Journal

Patient Experience Journal

Patient Experience Journal (PXJ) is excited to announce the call for submissions for its July 2019 special issue on the topic of the role of technology in patient & family experience. A focus on technology and innovation will be essential in healthcare experience, requiring new ways of thinking and doing and the technologies and tools to ensure efficiencies, expand capacities and extend boundaries of care.

This special issue is open to all authors conducting cutting-edge research, implementing innovative practices or with powerful experiences to share around efforts in either creating or implementing technology focused on positively impacting the patient experience …