Potilaskokemuskyselyn kehittäminen lastensairaalan potilaiden vanhemmille

Compared to patient satisfaction, less research has focused on patient experience, which is a complex phenomenon by nature, thereby challenging to define and measure. Today, healthcare organizations are short of appropriate instruments surveying patient experiences. Satisfaction questionnaires are used to evaluate the quality of hospital care from the viewpoint of adult patients. However, questions remain whether the hospitals should use these results to support their development activities. This article describes the development process of a patient experience survey instrument targeted for the parents of pediatric patients, introduces the first versions of the questionnaire, and the plan for further development. The development process included several phases: interviews with 17 families, identification of aspects which influence patient experiences (5 themes), description of related potential metrics (22 metrics), formulation of the first version of the questionnaire (67 statements) and pilot testing, data gathering at a pediatric outpatient clinic (106 respondents), and based on exploratory factor analysis development of the second version of the questionnaire (22 statements). The further development includes validation with a second round data gathering and statistical analysis. The aim is to condense the number of statements into about 10 and implement the survey in an electronic format. In the Lapsus project similar patient experience questionnaires will be developed for all relevant phases of patients paths. The development work will utilize the reported process and the first version of the questionnaire. The plan is take the instruments in use in the New Children’s hospital in Helsinki and in other similar hospitals.