8.G. Workshop: Developments in patient experience surveys: how do we maintain relevance and maximise impact?
Authors:   Organised by: National Care Experience Programme, Health Information and Quality Authority (Ireland),   Chair persons: Tracy O'Carroll (Ireland)
Published: October 2023

Background

Patient and service-user experiences of healthcare are a vital component of the monitoring and assessment of the quality and performance of health and social care services and systems, as well as an important predictor of patient outcomes. The National Care Experience Programme (NCEP) is a partnership between the Irish health and social care regulator (Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA), the national public healthcare provider (Health Service Executive, HSE), and policy makers (Department of Health). The NCEP conducts national care experience surveys with the aim of learning from people's experiences in order to improve the quality of health and social care services in Ireland. The programme includes surveys of acute hospital inpatient, maternity, maternity bereavement, nursing home and end-of-life care. Additional surveys of cancer care and mental health services are currently in development.

Objectives

Regular review and adaptation of existing surveys, expansion into new areas of care, and development of new methods of data collection, analysis and dissemination of survey findings and stakeholder engagement are required in order to remain agile and responsive to evolving health and social care landscapes and the changing needs of stakeholders, as well as harnessing technological advances and ensuring sustainability. The aim of this workshop is to bring together experts in patient experience from across the health system to stimulate discussion, knowledge sharing and cross-fertilisation of ideas. Presentations will focus on international developments and trends in patient experience, as well as considerations for surveying bereaved parents and families on their experiences of maternity bereavement and end-of-life care. The use of new technologies, including computational text analytics and predictive modelling to facilitate qualitative data analysis and maximise the use of survey findings will be outlined, followed by case studies of how care experience data are used to inform health and social care legislation, policy and practice in Ireland. Experiences from other jurisdictions and potential implications will be discussed with the audience. The workshop will contribute to a better understanding of the value and impact of collecting patient experience feedback and explore how new technologies can be used to generate insights and maximise the use of survey data.

Format of the workshop

The workshop will include a brief introduction on patient experience and the Irish National Care Experience Programme, followed by five presentations with time for audience contributions and questions after each speaker. The workshop will conclude with a discussion with the audience and presenters.

Key messages

• Patient experiences are a key component of the monitoring and assessment of the quality and performance of health and social care services and systems.

• Regular review and adaptation of surveys and development of new methods are required to remain responsive to evolving health and social care landscapes and ensure sustainability.