Patient experience covers a range of interactions that the patient has with the healthcare system, including the interactions with the prehospital staff of emergency medical services[1]. Patient experience includes aspects of healthcare that the patient values highly such as; the care they seek and receive, access to healthcare information, and effective good communication with the healthcare provider[1, 2]. Understanding patient experience is a key step towards patient-centered care[1, 2]. Evaluating patient experience, and assessing the various components of patient experience can provide valuable insight to the extent to which the patient receives healthcare that is respectful and responsive to the patients preferences needs and values[1].
Patient experience is often used interchangeably with patient satisfaction, but they are not the same[1]. Assessing patient experience, means finding out from the patient whether anything that should have happened in the delivery of healthcare has actually taken place and how often it took place[2], and patient satisfaction is whether the patients expectations about his/her encounter with healthcare was met[1].
A positive patient experience is a crucial element of healthcare in its own right, as evidence has indicated a positive association between various aspects of the patients’ experience and health outcomes[1, 2]. Pain management, noise reduction, hourly visits of nurses to communicate with the patient and find out if the patient has any needs, effective communication, and healthcare practitioner responsiveness to the patient were found to be the top five aspects that dramatically improve the patients experience with our healthcare institute and practitioners[3].
A few simple improvements such as; patient friendly name badges, securing the patient valuables and implementing patient dignified gowns that has improved the patients experience within healthcare environments. In a systematic review conducted by Doyle Lennox and Bell[2], evidence has shown a strong association between clinician-patient communication and compliance to medical treatment[2]. Healthcare practitioners need to be trained in how to effectively communicate with the patient[2–4]. It is not only the patient that healthcare staff must communicate with, but also the patients’ family.
In my experience as a manager in a busy private emergency medical service in Johannesburg meant dealing with patient complaints. Part of the complaints that I have received has been about poor communication techniques from staff. Prehospital staff need to be able to communicate effectively with the patients as well as other medical staff[5].Patients very quickly pick up how you treat fellow healthcare practitioners or are treated by other healthcare professionals[5]. If you are treated with respect, and treat fellow healthcare staff with respect this exudes more confidence in you and the patient has more confidence in you as well, leading to a more positive patient experience[5]. Part of effective communication, also involves your voice. Healthcare practitioners need to remember, how does the voice of a person that is actually concerned about you sounds like[5]. That is the voice we need to use. It needs to be calm, steady and have an empathetic tone[5].
Pain management has also been linked to a patient having a good experience. Pain management is an important aspect of patient care[6]. Patients’ opinions and perceptions regarding their therapy, was highly dependent on adequate pain assessment by health care practitioners and their involvement in the therapy. In a retrospective study conducted by Madeira et al[6], reviewing patients attended to by prehospital staff in 2010, it was found that most patients with moderate or severe pain did not receive adequate prehospital pain management[6]. It was suggested in this study that a multimodal pain management approach be adopted to improve pain management[6] and this will improve the patient experience[3].
In conclusion, healthcare practitioners need to constantly work at improving the patients’ experience. It is not something that is done only once for one day and then forgotten the next.
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing and that is why we recommend it daily” – Zig Ziglar
Reference list
[1] Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. What is patient experience. Advancing Excellence in Health Care, https://www.ahrq.gov/cahps/about-cahps/patient-experience/index.html (accessed 20 September 2019).
[2] Doyle C, Lennox L, Bell D. A systematic review of evidence on the links between patient experience and clinical safety and effectiveness. BMJ Open; 3. Epub ahead of print 2013. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2012-001570.
[3] Mediclinic Training Academy. Patient Experience.
[4] Leonard P. Exploring ways to manage healthcare professional—patient communication issues. Support Care Cancer 2017; 25: 7–9.
[5] Carline NL. Patient Communication. In: Emergency Care in the Streets. Jones And Bartlett, 20111, pp. 10–3, 10–15.
[6] Madeira F, Lapa P, Tavares E. Prehospital pain management: do we have to learn more about it? Eur J Anaesthesiol; 30: 203–204.
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