In the past, medicine was simple, straightforward, not very effective and more personal. We currently live in an environment of change, with uncertainties, the continuous incorporation of new technologies, and we work in multidisciplinary teams. This means that medicine is now more effective, precise and safe, but also more highly specialized, technified, fragmented, and not as personal as we would like.
Patient Experience improves the professionals’ experience
At the Patient Experience Team, led by the General Management and the Strategy Management at the Hospital Clínic Barcelona, we are interested in incorporating the voice of patients and their families in order to improve their care and identify unmet needs and, in return, improve the experience of professionals, and wherever possible, also improve clinical results.
It is the duty of every professional to treat people with respect and courtesy, in an appropriate manner, based on scientific knowledge but also on values such as professional ethics and patient experience; always incorporating their voice and perspective into decision-making.
Over the last two years, the Patient Experience Team has created more than 80 focus groups (meetings with patients that promote dialogue and the exchange of views in a semi-structured way), and has identified aspects that are relevant to patients, such as information and communication, respect, accessibility to professionals, time management and shared decisions. For the last five years, we have also had a model for evaluating patient experience in outpatient clinics, with over 90 projects implemented in relation to improving patient experience.
Feedback on the results in patient experience
All this work is possible thanks to all the professionals at the Hospital Clínic Barcelona, the leadership of the hospital’s management and directors and the work of the Patient Experience Team and the Patient Experience Observatory (Observatori d’XPA). All this work must be accompanied by feedback on the results and an assessment of the impact on both patients and professionals... Along these lines, the Patient Experience Team is organizing a Patient Exchange Week (now in its third year), which is a space for reflection to share projects, results, and open areas that we would like to share with the public.
Incorporating the patient’s voice is not only an ethical duty to improve their experience, but also has an impact on the experience of professionals; it can make the system more sustainable, contributes to increasing the institutional reputation and, at the same time, is a pioneering approach.
