Dear Patient - A practical guide to patient experience

Great progress has been made in creating awareness of patient experience and promoting its practice in care settings and among commissioners of health care services. However, the true appreciation and practice of patient experience is yet to be the norm, even in advanced economies. The days of ‘the doctor knows what is best for you, so be grateful and be quiet’ are almost gone but unfortunately staggers on in some quarters. The key purpose of Dear Patient – A Practical Guide to Patient Experience is to equip all those working in healthcare - be it as doctors, nurses, paramedics, therapists, administrators or receptionists and those training or aspiring to these and other health care roles - with the practical guide to enable them attend to patients, their families and carers with professionalism, courtesy, dignity, and respect. It also provides the public with the knowledge of what is expected of staff in hospitals and other care settings in terms of patient experience. This book uses many real cases to illustrate what patient experience is all about, thereby providing a truly practical guide. Table of contents 1. What is patient experience all about? 2. The need to know: Data collection, triangulation, and analysis 3. The four Cs: Complaints, Concerns, Comments, and Compliments 4. Now that you know, what are you going to do about it? Using data to improve services 5. The synergy effect: Patient experience, engagement, and communications 6. Drivers of litigation: The impact of empathy and accountability 7. Delivering patient experience in a Covid pandemic era: Challenges, actions, and lessons learned. Testimonials “A good patient experience is the cornerstone to delivering high quality care; not always easy to get right but can always be improved upon. At some time in our lives, we have all been a patient. Our experiences are shaped, not only by the kindness of individuals and teams, but also how organisations prioritise patient experience. Through real examples, ‘Dear Patient’ gives us the knowledge and practical tools to ensure all patients get a good experience. ‘Dear Patient’ is a compelling read for anyone interested in improving patient experience.” Professor Steve Hams MBE Chief Nursing Officer “The voices of our patients have been underrepresented in healthcare for years. Their voices should be integral to the delivery of any vision and strategy of healthcare providers to ensure the care they receive is inclusive and personalised. This underscores the importance of Kunle's 'Dear Patient’” Dr Jasmine Leonce Consultant Obstetrician and National Maternity Improvement Advisor “… it is wonderful that a long standing IHSCM member, Kunle Thomas, has written this book … reform and improvement in service design and delivery is much needed … we can use Kunle’s book as a reference point from a patient’s perspective...‘Start with the patient and work backwards’ must be the mantra for anyone involved in NHS quality improvement and redesign. Kunle’s book is at least one key for what is a very complex lock.” Excerpt from foreword by Jon Wilks Chief Executive, Institute of Health and Social Care Management (IHSCM)