In today's healthcare landscape, 'patient experience' extends beyond clinical effectiveness and medical expertise — it's about creating a compassionate, safe, and seamless care journey, right from the patient's first contact with the system through to the last. It is the fundamental shift from viewing patients as mere care recipients into active partners in their well-being.
Now, more than ever before, healthcare organisations across the globe are increasingly incorporating practices to improve patient experience and ensure that every patient is seen, heard, and genuinely cared for.
Acknowledging this theme, the NHS has collaborated with trust heads of patient experience to establish a patient experience improvement framework. The framework enables organisations to assess the extent to which patient experience is ingrained in leadership, culture, and operational processes within the institution and identify areas for improvement.
This blog post focuses on the five elements of the framework, providing actionable strategies that can be implemented to support each component and, ultimately, enhance patient experience.
The Elements of the Patient Experience Improvement Framework
1. Leadership
Creating a patient-centric culture — one that prioritises a positive patient experience starts at the top. Leaders must champion the cause by leading with empathy and transparency, fostering open communication channels, and actively facilitating a culture that focuses on patient satisfaction. Some actionable steps that organisation leaders can take to support this are:
Implement a patient experience strategy co-produced with patients and frontline staff, signed off by the board.
Establish a Patient Advisory Council comprising patients, their families, and community representatives to gain varied perspectives on healthcare practices, policies, and improvements.
Provide ongoing training for staff in communication skills, empathy, and patient-centered care.
Develop clear and consistent communication protocols to keep patients and their families in the loop about their care plans and treatment options.
Evaluate and optimise internal administrative processes using automation and digital tools to reduce wait times, paperwork, and other time-consuming tasks.
2. Organisational Culture
Organisational culture is the foundation for delivering exceptional patient experiences and creating an environment where patients feel heard, respected, and supported throughout their healthcare journey. Cultivating this culture requires a strategic and unwavering approach, incorporating one or more of the following actionable steps:
Demonstrate organisational commitment by integrating patient-centric values into the mission, vision, and strategic objectives.
Create measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) specific to patient experience. Regularly track and share these metrics with staff, showcasing how patient satisfaction relates to the organisation's greater goals and success.
Develop a recognition program that acknowledges and rewards staff members who consistently contribute to creating a positive care experience for patients.
Publicly celebrate examples of exceptional patient care so staff can learn and be inspired, in turn, reinforcing desired behaviours.
Foster interdisciplinary collaboration, regular communication, and information sharing among different healthcare departments to ensure coordination and continuity of patient care.
Treat challenges and negative feedback as learning opportunities, tweaking processes as you go to drive improvements in care quality.
Integrate cultural competency into standard operating procedures and policies to ensure a more inclusive healthcare environment where staff recognise and respect the diverse backgrounds and needs of patients.
Implement role-playing scenarios during staff training sessions to simulate patient interactions and improve the staff's ability to handle various situations with empathy and sensitivity.
3. Patient Feedback for Learning and Quality Improvement
Vancouver Coastal Health, a regional health authority, started The Patients Stories Project — a relational initiative that invites patients, families, and caregivers to share their experiences with the dedicated staff who have provided care for them. Here are some examples of what staff and patients had to say:
"Seeing the patient stories, seeing them come back and talk to us, and feeling that impact was so heartening and inspiring. It reminded us that what we do has a very positive impact on people."
— Catherine Macphail, Clinical Nurse Educator
"Telling the story was cathartic. It took me looking at the whole situation and realising how many people were involved in saving my life and giving me my new life and just how much I appreciate that."
— Cory, Patient
"Hearing patient stories grounds you in human connection, which is for most of us, the main reason we got into healthcare to start with is to relieve suffering, help people recover, and because we like working with people."
— Allana LeBlanc, Clinical Nurse Specialist
These heartfelt responses highlight just how important it is to hear feedback from patients and understand their experience — not only to drive continuous quality improvement, but also for staff morale. Here are some ways you can support this within your organisation:
Implement an easy-to-use, digital feedback collection system to gather patient, family, and staff insights. MEG's Feedback Software offers diverse survey templates that can be fully customised and deployed across multiple touch points. Quality teams can use the software's real-time comprehensive patient feedback to analyse trends, allocate resources effectively, and shape future policies and improvement initiatives.
Ensure patients are aware of how and where they can share their experiences. Include information on feedback mechanisms in patient education materials such as brochures, posters, and waiting room displays.
Provide patients the option to give feedback anonymously. This can encourage more candid responses, particularly for sensitive issues.
Share aggregated and anonymised feedback results with both staff and patients. Communicate what improvements have been made based on the feedback received, and send follow-up surveys to assess the impact of the changes made.
Implement a Complaint Management system to identify and respond to complaints quickly, gain visibility into common issues, and drive continuous improvement. MEG's Complaint Management Software is a digital, user-friendly solution that captures complaint information, has built-in complaint triage, escalation, and quality assurance steps, and connects insights gained with key quality and patient safety processes, policies, and personnel to generate opportunities for further improvement and shared learning.
4. Data Analysis and Triangulation
While gathering feedback from patients, families, and staff is essential, it only constitutes one facet of a more intricate puzzle. The more critical counterpart involves systematically dissecting the feedback data to transform it from disparate information into a cohesive, actionable resource for continuous improvement. This meticulous approach of triangulating data from diverse sources provides a holistic view, fostering evidence-based decision-making within the organisation.
The key here is to use a patient feedback tool that consolidates data from diverse channels and touchpoints and analyses it methodically. For example, MEG's Patient Experience Module incorporates advanced analytics tools within its feedback and complaint management features. This dynamic combination dissects feedback, complaints, and other data, offering granular-level insights and the ability to identify trends, systemic issues, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
You can also link complaints and feedback to patient records, prior incident reports, risk assessments, or the risk register. Additionally, its predictive analytics and trend analysis capabilities empower healthcare professionals to anticipate and proactively address potential issues. Sign up here to see the tools in action.
5. Reporting and Publication
Reporting and publishing patient experience data within the organisation facilitates transparency and accountability, promoting a culture of openness and dedication to delivering patient-centered care. The data also serves as a diagnostic tool, pinpointing specific areas for improvement through the analysis of trends and opportunities.
MEG's Patient Experience Software automatically generates board-level or recurring reports for daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly governance reviews. You can also create management or staff reports ad hoc and customise them based on your requirements.
Some good practices to bear in mind while producing reports include:
Use data visualisation tools such as graphs, charts, and dashboards to present patient experience data. This format is clear, accessible, and easily understood by management and stakeholders.
Set up regular reporting cycles to ensure consistent and timely distribution of patient experience data. This may include monthly, quarterly, or annual reports to maintain a continuous improvement cycle.
Implement processes to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the data, including validation checks, data cleaning processes, and regular audits to identify and rectify any discrepancies.
Adopt strict privacy protocols and anonymise published data to ensure patient confidentiality and compliance with relevant data protection regulations.
Ensure published reports are easily accessible across multiple channels to a wide audience, including patients, staff, and the community.
In conclusion, the journey to improving patient experience is an evolving process that extends beyond clinical proficiency. The patient experience improvement framework provides a structured approach, emphasising components integral to healthcare organisations meeting the evolving needs of patients and creating a culture of continuous improvement.