Patients
The Patient Experience Index (PEI) has been in use at Mediclinic since October 2014.
It has become an invaluable tool that allows patients to provide direct feedback about their Mediclinic experiences.
The PEI is an in-depth survey that is independently administered by the global healthcare performance improvement specialists Press Ganey. The data that comes out of the PEI helps Mediclinic raise levels of service excellence at all its hospitals and equips the organisation to improve the patient experience further.
Chief Marketing Officer for Mediclinic Southern Africa, Dr Biren Valodia, says, ‘Mediclinic International embarked on creating a single, standardised patient experience measurement to ensure operational excellence and patient safety across all in-patient hospitals.
‘The survey allows hospital management teams to monitor the patient experience on a daily basis. The results give us an understanding of care from admission to discharge and include all aspects of hospital treatment such as nursing, communication, tests and treatments.’
National Patient Experience Manager for Mediclinic Southern Africa, Kevin Seaman, adds, ‘We wanted a robust system to measure the patients’ experiences and we also wanted it to be absolutely transparent and independently validated. We wanted something to benchmark performance internationally.’
Prioritising patients
Improving the patient experience has long been a priority for Mediclinic. Having worked in this area for the past four years, before the adoption of the PEI, Seaman stresses the organisation’s long-running dedication to providing a superior patient experience. ‘We’d already been doing a lot to improve the patient experience. But the PEI provides extensive, focused data for each hospital. We did consult patients in the past, but this is on a far wider scale and generates more in-depth, meaningful information based on a 20% response rate,’ he says.
Since inception, more than 46 000 patients admitted to Mediclinic Southern Africa have completed the questionnaire, says Dr Valodia. ‘Reporting covers every level of the organisation – the Mediclinic International Executive Committee, Mediclinic Southern Africa’s Executive Committee and each hospital. The strategic information highlights where significant enhancements to the patient experience can be made so that every hospital can respond to the specific needs of the local community.’
Insights
PEI showed that Mediclinic was already on the right track when it came to enhancing the patient experience. ‘There is always more to be done, but the majority of things we were focusing on were born out by the PEI findings,’ says Seaman. ‘Findings indicated that that our major initiatives were the ones that, according to Press Ganey, would give the greatest increase in perceived experience by patients. What’s so great is that the PEI gives focused feedback for individual hospitals. The Press Ganey system ranks the lowest scores with the highest priority for patients and links them to calculations of what is significant to the patient. So a combination of what’s important to the patient and where hospitals are doing relatively badly gives a focused priority index, which helps us concentrate on what’s important to our patients that we’re not doing well enough.’
The PEI has highlighted the importance of open communication with patients. ‘Mostly, people don’t have a problem with the skill of nursing staff, but what they are concerned about is that staff need to keep them informed. This is in line with international research that shows that a superior patient experience is not possible without engaging physicians, staff and patients. For example, asking permission before entering a patient’s room, making them part of the process and of the healing, telling them what you’re doing and so on. It highlights the fact that behavioural issues are responsible for the perceived lack of a superior patient experience.’
Making PEI an integral part of the Mediclinic business
Improved communication is a priority for Mediclinic and the PEI findings delivered added impetus to existing training programmes in this regard. ‘Over a period of six months, we’d already taken every leadership team at 52 hospitals through our “Leading the patient experience” training programme,’ explains Seaman. ‘Every member of staff at Mediclinic is now going to complete a one-day programme called “Managing the patient experience”. It looks at things like building rapport with patients, patient communication and our values, including patient safety and client focus. About 11200 people have attended it and we’re aiming to have everybody complete it by March 2017.’
‘The PEI has added momentum to our efforts at changing the culture of the organisation into one that’s receptive to the patient experience. It’s been invaluable in helping individual hospitals focus on what’s an issue for them. Every quarter, hospitals undertake a critical evaluation of their goals in terms of patient experience. They are rolling out initiatives, communication and awareness to make staff more sensitive to patients’ requirements. In each hospital, the Nursing Manager, the Patient Experience Manager and the Hospital General Manager have been trained to read quarterly PEI reports and look at ways to improve the patient experience. The PEI is an excellent catalyst for solutions because shortcomings are highlighted and can therefore be quickly addressed.’