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Abstract
Introduction Patient experience measures are a national CQUIN, important for quality assurance and a valued indicator by commissioners and regulatory bodies. We describe the hurdles overcome by a large tertiary neonatal service to obtain and use patient experiences.
Methods A bespoke questionnaire was designed for parents of surviving baby’s who stayed >24 h24 hours on NNU. Innovative use of QR codes, stand mounted iPads on NNU, badger discharge letter stickers, web based questionnaires, parent e-mail and altered discharge paperwork were used to improve questionnaire completion. Returns were audited to assist response rates. Specialised software was used to interrogate the data obtained. Systems to traffic light data were explored and processes to feedback information to staff developed. A range of IT problems and their solutions will be described.
Results 136 parent responses returned. Monthly response rates initially low (5%) which increased to >40% with the introduction of iPads and QR codes. Response rates correlated with functioning information technology.
Questionnaire returns
Patient experience feedback sticker for badger summary
Complete confidence and trust in doctors and nurses was high (125 and 122 / 136), 128/136 felt always kept up to date, 112/135 felt always included in treatment decisions, ‘friends and family’ score averaged 93%, data on unit cleanliness, accessibility, privacy, discharge planning and free text comments were obtained.
Conclusions Parent responses can inform your service but require innovative systems to enhance response rates, analyse data and feedback to staff.