Evaluating patient experiences in decentralised acute care using the Picker Patient Experience Questionnaire; methodological and clinical findings

BACKGROUND: Decentralised acute care services have, through the establishment of municipality acute wards (MAWs), been launched in Norway. The aim is to provide treatment for patients who otherwise would need hospitalisation. Currently there is a lack of studies investigating patient experiences in such services. The aims of this study were therefore to a) translate and validate the Picker Patient Experience Questionnaire (PPE-15) in Norwegian, and b) assess patient experiences in decentralised acute care, and potential factors associated with these experiences. METHODS: Patients were recruited from five municipal acute wards in southeastern Norway during the period from June 2014 to June 2015. Data on socio-demographics, length of stay and comorbidity (Charlson comorbidity index (CCI)) were collected. Patients completed the Picker Patient Experience Questionnaire (PPE-15) and the EuroQOL 5-dimension, 3-level version. Convergent validity of the PPE-15 was assessed by correlation of items in PPE-15 and the Nordic Patient Experience Questionnaire (NORPEQ). A retest of the PPE-15 was performed in a subgroup of patients approximately 3 weeks after baseline assessment. Test-retest agreement was assessed with Cohens’ unweighted Kappa. RESULTS: A total of 479 patients responded, median age 78.0 years and 41.8% men. A total of 68 patients participated in the retest. Testing of convergent validity revealed an overall weak to moderate correlation. Kappa statistics showed from fair to good test-retest agreement. Most problems were related to continuity and transition, while fewest problems were related to respect for patient preferences. A higher Charlson comorbidity score was the only variable that was negatively associated with patient experience. CONCLUSION: Patients reported problems in several items of the PPE-15 after discharge from decentralised acute wards. The findings from the current study may be helpful for planning ways to improve quality of care, e.g., by providing feedback to healthcare personnel or by using patient experience as a quality indicator.