Multidisciplinary Parkinson’s clinic patient satisfaction survey
The aim of this 2003 audit was to find out what patients think of the current service and to seek patients’ suggestions for service improvement.
A questionnaire was developed by the MDT and was completed by patients in day hospital after consultation. Help was available from the nurse/care assistant.
Eighteen questionnaires were returned from two clinics: a 100% response rate. Patients had a 100% satisfaction with overall standard of care and a mean overall rating score 9.2 /10. 89% had adequate information about their condition, 44% did not know how to contact the PD nurse if needed between appointments, 100% had general nursing and OT assessments, 94% had seen a physiotherapist. Patients said they had enough time with doctor / PDN.
Patients were satisfied with advice given by the different disciplines. 56% requested staff help to do survey When asked “What do you like least about the clinic?”, 28% said waiting around, 1 [6%] also said group therapy. Suggestions for service improvement included: a re-think / staggering of appointment times, providing a programme / timetable for the day, and improving the continuity of care.
These were small numbers but the survey was set to continue for two more months. Completing questionnaires on site might influence patient responses (especially if staff assist patient). Scale out of 10 may be more informative than yes / no answers for some questions. Unprompted disclosure of dislike of excess “waiting around” is important and needs to be addressed by the MDT.
The survey was done in 2003 and my 2015 reflection on this is:
- The survey predates the National Parkinson’s Audit.
- Although proud of offering a full MDT assessment at a single visit we subsequently offered the option of therapy assessments one day and medical assessments another day for those who found full MDT assessment in one day too tiring.
- We provide patients attending for MDT assessment a personalised schedule so they know better what to expect.
- Patient surveys with open ended questions can provide surprising and revealing results – we should do them more often.
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'The things you can't get from the books'
Parkinson's Academy, our original and longest running Academy, houses 20 years of inspirational projects, resources, and evidence for improving outcomes for people with Parkinson's. Led by co-founder and educational director Dr Peter Fletcher, the Academy has a truly collegiate feel and prides itself on delivering 'the things you can't get from books' - a practical learning model which inspires all Neurology Academy courses.