Patient-Centredness in European Hospitals and Quality Improvement Strategies
Author Information
Author(s): O Groene, M J M H Lombarts, N Klazinga, J Alonso, A Thompson, R Suñol
Primary Institution: Avedis Donabedian Institute, Autonomous University of Barcelona
Hypothesis
The implementation of strategies to improve patient-centredness is associated with hospital characteristics, including the maturity of the hospital’s quality management system.
Conclusion
Quality improvement systems seem to be effective in implementing selected patient-centredness strategies, but are insufficient for widespread implementation throughout the organization.
Supporting Evidence
- Hospitals reported high implementation of policies for patients’ rights (85.5%) and informed consent (93%).
- Strategies to involve patients (71%) and learn from their experience (66%) were less frequently implemented.
- Institutions with a more developed quality improvement system reported better results for 13 out of 18 hospital strategies.
Takeaway
This study looked at how hospitals in Europe are trying to make care more focused on patients and found that while some strategies are used a lot, others, like involving patients in decisions, are not.
Methodology
Cross-sectional survey of hospital managers and professionals across 351 European hospitals.
Potential Biases
Self-reported data may introduce bias in the assessment of patient-centredness strategies.
Limitations
The study's findings may not be generalizable due to the non-random recruitment of hospitals and the reliance on self-reported data.
Participant Demographics
Hospital managers and professionals from various European countries.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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