ABC radio interview with Dr Lynne Maher

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/what-matters-to-patients/4256260

Dr Lynne Maher is a critical care nurse by profession, and now works as the Director for Innovation and Design, NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement in the United Kingdom.

Health services both in the UK and here in Australia are using the patient engagement platform Patient Opinionto receive feedback about the patient experience and what matters to them.

Lynne makes a good point when she says that clinicians know what matters to patients, just from a different perspective, and sometimes it is not what actually matters to the patient. Often issues like processes and risk management are at the forefront of what many clinicians perceive to be of high importance to the patient and what matters most to them. However, from the patient’s perspective the most important issues appear to be about communication and how involved they feel in the decision making process and if they felt they were treated like a person  as opposed to just another number. Not to say that a clinician’s perspective is wrong but perhaps it needs to be more balanced with their patient’s perception of care. As Lynne mentions, health professionals also need to recognise the expertise that patients and their families bring to healthcare, especially patients with cancer and others suffering from chronic disease.

Health services receive complaints as well as compliments however, what is of concern to many patients, who use this formal process, is the treatment of their complaint or compliment. How do they know what happens to their feedback? In the case of a complaint to a health service how can the patient believe that the incident in question won’t happen again? How can clinicians and health services learn from each other about the ‘patient experience’?

The power for the patient voice to be heard lies in having a platform that allows transparency and an opportunity for health services to be fearless in publicly addressing concerns and telling their patients in an open forum that they are listening and value their feedback (good or bad). When the service truly engages with their patients in a non-confrontational environment, patients have tangible evidence that they are being listened to. This online form of engagement can be a scary prospect for the health service but pales in comparison to the angst a vulnerable patient might feel when addressing issues on a personal level with the health service.

There is no shame in recognising that service can be improved, it is how that recognition is managed and communicated to the patient that gives credibility to the organisation. More importantly, we all need validation and patients are no different in wanting their voice to be heard and their concerns, no matter how big or small, taken seriously and used to improve health services.

Patient Opinion CEO Assoc. Professor Michael Greco spoke with Julia Gillard last week about our new innovative patient engagment platform, set to change the way health services, across Australia, engage with their patients.

Whilst cruising the twitter highway I came across this article from the Wesley Mission ‘Mental Health: national study reveals that family carers carry long term cost’

Below is a section from the report:

‘It also recommends that professionals are not only informed about the experiences of the patient but also about the experiences of the family in the caring role. This could be implemented in the workplace and during the tertiary training of health, teaching and allied professionals, by ensuring a working understanding of appropriate responses.

Frontline service providers should be aware of family and carer needs as they treat a person with a mental health issue and facilitate appropriate support and responses.

“Wesley Mission asks both state and federal governments to ensure the capacity of intervention and respite services so that all carers have access to visible and culturally appropriate support when it is needed,” Dr Garner said. “We also recommend greater cross-centre information sharing to provide more effective care for both caregivers and those in their care.”

It relates to Patient Opinion and how our platform can assist mental health professions see through the eyes of a carer to help improve services and support for carers. They play such an important role in caring for loved ones and are often not recognised or paid as well as some health professionals even though as a carer their job is often a 24hrs 7days a week.

If you are a carer or know someone who would like to share their experience on Patient Opinion we (and the Australian public) would love to hear from you so we can help get your story to the right people and let others see through your eyes what it is really like to be a carer.

One thing is for sure on Patient Opinion you will be heard.

 Now that patients have the chance to give feedback on their healthcare experiences on our Patient Opinion Australia website many healthcare organisations such as Medicare Locals are jumping at the chance to sign up and hear what patients are saying about health services in their area.

Our unique on-line patient engagement platform gives healthcare organisations, including Medicare Locals and Local Health and Hospital Networks, the chance to respond to feedback, reward positive behaviours and remedy any negative situations.  The platform is safe, independent, confidential, and accessible and promotes constructive dialogue focused on service improvement.

West Moreton-Oxley Medicare Local is one of the first Medicare Locals to have backed the initiative, and will be facilitating Australia’s first Patient Opinion blueprint in its Ipswich Psychology Clinic.

West Moreton-Oxley Medicare Local Chief Executive Officer Vicki Poxon said the initiative would provide a vital tool in giving the Medicare Local insight into how healthcare services in their region are being received.

“This program is entirely complementary to our role as one of the first Medicare Locals in listening and responding to the primary healthcare needs of our region, engaging with the community and supporting healthcare service providers,” Ms Poxon said.

It is only through a partnership with patients that we can really establish that feedback loop and identify what’s working and what needs improvement.

“It’s interesting to note that in the UK most of the feedback was actually positive, so we are extremely interested in listening to the needs of the patients in our region and gaining a better understanding of the current landscape.”

Ms Poxon said the Ipswich Psychology clinic was the first of many service providers in their region with whom the West Moreton-Oxley Medicare Local will be initiating the Patient Opinion program.