The use of a validated pre-discharge questionnaire to improve the quality of patient experience of orthopaedic care

Patient experience is central to the delivery of excellent healthcare. As such it is enshrined within the 2015 NHS outcomes framework, a set of indicators against which quality in healthcare is measured. A variety of tools are available to quantify patient experience across clinical settings. When combined with a framework for continued data collection and suitable mechanisms for analysis, feedback, and intervention, these tools allow improvements in patient care and clinical services to be realised. In response to an increasing number of patient complaints and friends and family scores below the trust average within our orthopaedic department we instituted an improvement programme in March 2015. The programme was based around the Picker Patient Experience 15 questionnaire and aimed to improve friends and family test scores, reduce complaints and improve patient experience scores over an 18-month period. An improvement model including baseline measurement and 2 improvement cycles over an 18-month period was used. Initial benchmarks for practice were created by referencing national data allowing problem areas of care to be identified and interventions to address these developed. This process identified areas for improvement including improving staff awareness and engagement with patient experience, improving staff and patient communication and ensuring patients were aware and involved in plans for their own care. Actions to address these issues resulted in a 38% decrease in patient complaints, a >10% increase in patient experience, and improvements in patient satisfaction and friends and family scores.