COMMENT: Automated patient feedback systems: Achieving excellence in a patient-centric NHS

IN THE general confusion and state of flux surrounding NHS change, many of the UK’s 100,000 doctors have overlooked the GMC’s plans for medical revalidation. Driven by a number of factors, including the Shipman Inquiry and the Government’s demand for greater patient input, revalidation is the process by which doctors will have to demonstrate to the GMC that they are up-to-date and fit to practice.

In an increasingly patient-centric NHS, there is a clear need to improve understanding of the customer experience, from the difficulties of making appointments to feedback on the cleanliness of the waiting environment or a demand for specific local services

Expected to occur every five years, revalidation is a new way of regulating the medical profession, providing a focus for doctors’ efforts to maintain and improve their practice, and encouraging patients and the public to provide feedback about the medical care received from doctors.

As yet, the GMC is still consulting on the best way to collect and collate revalidation information. There is ongoing discussion about whether information will be collected centrally or at practice/department level. However, it is clear that patient information will be a key component of the overall evaluation of doctors’ performance and will comprise some of the supporting information that all doctors will be expected to provide during appraisal.

In addition to determining the right approach to collecting patient feedback, the GMC has yet to ascertain the method of collection. And getting this right will be critical to minimise the administrative overhead. Indeed, while there are a number of ways that patient feedback can be consumed and analysed to be productive, many of these methods demand both time and resource; a factor that will cause problems for already-overstretched health practitioners.

Patient feedback

In the general confusion and state of flux surrounding NHS change, many of the UK’s 100,000 doctors have overlooked the GMC’s plans for medical revalidation

However, while medical revalidation is set to commence in summer 2012, there are clear opportunities for healthcare organisations and doctors to pro-actively consider ways of gathering feedback from patients today. One option is to extend the self-service touch-screen patient registration system to undertake patient surveys. These systems are easy to use and provide patients with a quick way to provide feedback, thus promoting high-level response rates and allowing all forms of feedback to be collected, rather than just verbal complaints.

With this approach, control can be seamlessly imposed over the information collection process. For example, it is easy to switch the customer survey system on and off, surveys can be completed anonymously if required to meet revalidation requirements, and it is a simple process to ensure only those patients who have attended a specific doctor or consultant are asked to complete a survey to ensure information is accurate and relevant.

This process of collecting and collating information is automated, minimising the administrative overhead and enabling doctors to meet revalidation requirements as they are determined. But, more importantly, it provides clear statistical information directly back to doctors and practice managers on their performance, the service the received by patients, and suggested improvements to the surrounding environment.

There is simply no way this revalidation compliance requirement can be successfully met without automation; without simple, touch-screen solutions that improve patient engagement and streamline the entire data collection process

Indeed, the patient information collected has value far beyond meeting compliance requirements. Every modern business needs to be able to react fast to customers and leverage opportunities to achieve greater efficiency. In an increasingly patient-centric NHS, there is a clear need to improve understanding of the customer experience, from the difficulties of making appointments to feedback on the cleanliness of the waiting environment or a demand for specific local services. The ability to capture information in real-time ensures problems can be rapidly flagged-up and pro-active changes made.

Conclusion

Doctors are incredibly busy people. And, for GPs, should the planned move to GP commissioning continue, they are set to become even busier. There is simply no way this revalidation compliance requirement can be successfully met without automation; without simple, touch-screen solutions that improve patient engagement and streamline the entire data collection process.

There is simply no way this revalidation compliance requirement can be successfully met without automation; without simple, touch-screen solutions that improve patient engagement and streamline the entire data collection process

And, while it remains unclear as to exactly how the GMC will define the revalidation process and underpinning information requirements, there is no doubt it will demand patient information in some form. And, critically, there is a growing realisation that patient information will play a key role in determining the success and structure of health service delivery.

In whatever way the structure of the NHS evolves over the next decade, the challenge will be to juggle financial constraints and growing patient power. It is those GP practices and hospital departments that can create a seamless customer experience, automatically gaining customer feedback throughout the process, that will be best placed to respond to the challenges of the new health economy.

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