Item generation in the development of an inpatient experience questionnaire: a qualitative study

Abstract

BackgroundPatient experience is a key feature of quality improvement in modern health-care delivery. Measuring patient experience is one of several tools used to assess and monitor the quality of health services. This study aims to develop a tool for assessing patient experience with inpatient care in public hospitals in Hong Kong.MethodsBased on the General Inpatient Questionnaire (GIQ) framework of the Care Quality Commission as a discussion guide, a qualitative study involving focus group discussions and in-depth individual interviews with patients was employed to develop a tool for measuring inpatient experience in Hong Kong.ResultsAll participants agreed that a patient satisfaction survey is an important platform for collecting patients’ views on improving the quality of health-care services. Findings of the focus group discussions and in-depth individual interviews identified nine key themes as important hospital quality indicators: prompt access, information provision, care and involvement in decision making, physical and emotional needs, coordination of care, respect and privacy, environment and facilities, handling of patient feedback, and overall care from health-care professionals and quality of care. Privacy, complaint mechanisms, patient involvement, and information provision were further highlighted as particularly important areas for item revision by the in-depth individual interviews. Thus, the initial version of the Hong Kong Inpatient Experience Questionnaire (HKIEQ), comprising 58 core items under nine themes, was developed.ConclusionsA set of dimensions and core items of the HKIEQ was developed and the instrument will undergo validity and reliability tests through a validation survey. A valid and reliable tool is important in accurately assessing patient experience with care delivery in hospitals to improve the quality of health-care services.

Associations between mortality and meteorological and pollutant variables during the cool season in two Asian cities with sub-tropical climates: Hong Kong and Taipei

“…Poisson Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) for time-series [14] were used to model the independent associations of non-accidental mortality (ICD-9 codes 001–799; ICD-10 codes: A00-T99, Z00-Z99) with the meteorological and pollutant variables while controlling for confounders. The analyses covered the years 1999–2009 for Hong Kong and 1999–2008 for Taipei.…”

“…The health care systems in both study locales have a strong public element. The Hong Kong Hospital Authority, a public organization, accounts for more than 90% of hospital admissions [14] and their fees are heavily subsidized. Taiwan implemented the compulsory National Health Insurance (NHI) in 1995, which extended coverage to all residents [15].…”

Consumer Perception of Inpatient Medical Services

“…Consumers of inpatient medical services described their discomfort and anxiety regarding the perceived “operative wound” or “contents of tubes connected to body,” while medical professionals might evaluate to track recovery. The qualitative study highlighted patients’ experiences, also reporting on the physical and emotional needs of patients as one of the identified themes from the interview data [27, 31]. The suffering experienced by consumers during hospitalization was inextricably intertwined with their physical and emotional needs.…”

“…In the situation where medical service providers explain expected behavior to medical service consumers, such as “explanation of nurse call,” specific explanations that help accomplish expected behavior have to be provided. Research articles describing information needs from consumers’ narratives revealed what consumers were uninformed about and how they accessed the necessary information during their experienced medical services [27, 32–34]. The provision of useful and clear information with consumer-oriented explanations to medical service consumers could help expand consumer involvement in their medical services, and foster a better relationship between patients as consumers and medical professionals as providers in medical service co-production.…”

“…The survey compared the results among participating institutions since 2008 [22–25]. The questionnaire survey focused on patients’ experiences and satisfaction, and has been used in the other countries to evaluate medical services in hospitals [27]. Patients’ perceptions regarding experienced medical services can provide useful suggestions, not only for delivering patient-centered care, but also for improving the quality of care.…”