NNRU research helps develop new 'Transforming Patient Experience' guide
Research carried out by the National Nursing Research Unit (NNRU), based at the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, has been used to underpin a new Transforming Patient Experience guide which aims to help NHS staff better understand and measure what matters most to patients. The guide was launched by the NHS Institute for Innovation & Improvement in February and will be used to support one of the NHS’s key aims of improving patient experience.
The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement commissioned the NNRU and the Kings Fund to undertake the research into what matters to patients, including a review of existing literature and interviews with patients and carers. Over the course of nine months, researchers gathered evidence to establish what ‘matters most’ to patients and what NHS organisations currently measuring in relation to patient experience. They then used this evidence to make recommendations on how to improve patient experience.
Professor Glenn Robert, Chair in Healthcare Quality & Innovation at the NNRU, said:
“We found that patients place significant value on their experiences of care alongside other components of quality such as clinical effectiveness and the safety of services. This evidence demonstrates that it is essential that patient experience is at the centre of quality improvement efforts.”
The guide includes useful case studies of how different types of organisations across the NHS have captured patient feedback to drive quality improvement, as well as recommendations for how to design and deploy local patient surveys and what questions to ask.
Professor Robert continued:
“Patients can offer invaluable insights into how services can be improved and developed. Our report highlighted stories from patients and staff, along with many examples of innovative ideas and well-tested techniques. The Transforming Patient Experience is an excellent resource to help staff work more closely with service users and carers in future.”
As a result of the research - and as recommended by the research team - the Department of Health through its National Quality Board, has adopted a modified version of the Picker Institute Principles of Patient-Centred Care framework. This can be used by the NHS as an evidence-based list of what matters to patients, in order to direct efforts to improve services. For more information go to http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/02/patient-experience-framework/