Patient Experience during Hospital Stay: A Pilot Survey

Introduction: Hospital inpatient care is provided to individuals who have a condition that requires them to stay in hospital. Patient experience is an important aspect of high-quality patient-centered care. Aim: With this pilot survey we aimed to obtain patient feedback on their experiences during their hospital stay, highlight areas of best practice and areas for improvement and provide a basis for a hospital-wide inpatient experience survey. Patients and Methods: Anonymous patient experience questionnaires were given to patients who were discharged from hospital during the month of May 2016. Patients were asked to answer 45 questions concerning their experience during hospital stay using the five-point Likert scale, and hand back the questionnaire before leaving the hospital. A suggestion box was provided for comments and suggestions for improvement. Results: Fifty-six questionnaires were handed out and 50 (from 27 males, 17 females and 6 patients who did not specify their gender) questionnaires were returned (89% response rate). Most of the responses fell within the “agree” to “strongly agree” range indicating a positive patient experience for most of the items addressed. Patients also provided useful comments and suggestions. Conclusion: Results of this survey indicate that patients generally had a positive experience during their hospital stay. This survey has revealed areas for improvement, and highlights the importance of patient experience when assessing a patient-centered service.