Quality and safety
On the 20th of May 2008 Health Issues Centre held a one day forum for health consumers who participate on committees to share their experiences. The conference was held at Victoria University, 300 Flinders Street Melbourne and was attended by 105 Participants.
Conference presentations, program and report can be viewed by clicking the link below. This file is in zip format
The aim of this study was to develop and pilot test a brief survey for patients in Swiss hospitals. Evidence from the qualitative interviews indicates that safety remains an unsaid word between patients and their care providers.
Following a review of curent and past research, and individual and group discussions with Aboriginal consumers and health workers, several potential tools were identified, including development of a culturally appropriate questionnaire, face to face interviews, posters, pamphlets, training sessions and presentations, and creation of an Aboriginal consumer advisory group. The 'Alice Springs Hospital Consumer feedback questionnaire and Guide for Interviewers' is also available from the Publications section of this website.
Assessing Consumer Ratings of Quality in General Practice Needs More Than Just Rating Scales
Accurate assessments of quality in general practice are dependent on the views of health consumers. Currently, consumers’ views of general practice quality are primarily assessed using rating scales. Rating scales are quick, cheap and capable of eliciting large amounts of data from numerous respondents in any easy-to-use and interpret format. But how dependable is the information they present? This article discusses the limitations of ratings scales and proposes mixed-method approaches as a viable alternative to assessing consumer views on quality in general practice
The report examines various characteristics of respondents which may be predictive of self-reported experience of medical adverse events.
Communicating with Consumer Series Volume 1: Well-written health information: a guide
A publication prepared for the Department of Human Services, Acute Health Division, by the Centre for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Issues Centre. The project was based on the King's Fund study 'Informing patients: An assessment of the quality of patient information materials', UK, 1998. The guide is a distillation of the findings of the project on the preferred format, content, presentation and language necessary in a quality publication.
Communicating with Consumers: Evidence into Practice
The Victorian Quality Council has developed this two-part report aimed at improving quality and safety in hospitals by improving communication between health professionals and consumers and carers. Part 1 reviews the existing evidence about the impact of effective communication strategies in improving quality and safety of patient care. Part 2 is guide aimed at assisting hospitals to improve communication.
Community Participation in Community Health Quality of Care Reporting
Quality of Care reports describe the quality and safety systems, processes and outcomes that exist within a health service This document provides some general information and suggestions for involving community members in Quality of Care reporting.
A resource kit designed to assist Area Health Service Managers and project leaders in establishing and maintaining community and consumer input into planning, policy development and service monitoring.
This report was developed by the Victorian Quality Council through a literature review and consultation with individual, consumer organisation, government departments, academic institutions and health services. The research aimed to identify research, evidence and opinion on consumer leadership and consumer participation in the heath system and hence provide advice on developing consumer leadership and capacity building in health care quality and safety improvement.
Consumer participation in accreditation : project report
The four pilot studies undertaken during this project provided an opportunity to demonstrate how consumers could be engaged effectively in accreditation processes either at the health facility level or as reviewers and surveyors in an accreditation team. Elements of the project included a literature search, an international survey of accreditation agencies, and interviews with consumer and provider participants in earlier accreditation studies. The report makes recommendations for achieving widespread and long-term involvement of consumers in accreditation and quality assurance processes.
Consumer participation in accreditation : resource guide
A guide to accreditation processes designed for workers in health services and accreditation agencies, and for consumers wishing to be involved in accreditation or quality improvement activities. Guidelines emphasise strategies for sustaining consumer involvement in accreditation and quality improvement.
The aim of this project was to investigate if and how consumers, representatives of consumer and community groups and members of the broader community would prefer to be involved in Flinders Medical Centre; to explore some of the issues for consumers and representatives of consumer and community groups which may inhibit or enhance their participation; and to develop a consumer participation model for Flinders Medical Centre that is based on the findings of the study.
Consumers Advancing Patient Safety
Consumers Advancing Patient Safety (CAPS) is a consumer-led nonprofit organization formed to be a collective voice for individuals, families and healers who wish to prevent harm in healthcare encounters through partnership and collaboration. CAPS is committed to exploring and contributing the wisdom and experience that consumers can offer to patient safety research, education of both consumers and providers, reporting of bad outcomes and near misses, development and implementation of solutions that can prevent harm, and policy making that will help create healthcare systems that are safe, compassionate and just.
Contents Page Health Issues Journal # 98
Table of Contents for Health Issues Journal #98
DISCERN is a general set of quality criteria designed in the United Kingdom to enable consumers and other health information users judge the quality of treatment information on treatment choices.
Delivering local health solutions through general practice
Australian General Practice Network’s Submission to the Australian Commission on Safety & Quality in Health Care Alternative Model for Safety & Quality Accreditation of Health Care
Developing consumer driven performance reports for acute cardiac services
The project challenged the assumption that performance reports should provide data. Consumers raised concerns about the benefits of data and challenged the typical boundaries that relate to accountability and not to the consumer experience. The project involved two consumer partner organisations - Heartbeat Epworth Inc, and Cardiomyopathy Association of Australia Ltd. The project aimed to develop a report using the Purposeful Reporting to Consumers' framework.
This project aimed to enhance consumer participation in the four metropolitan health authorities located in Perth. Specifically the project aimed to achieve a clearer direction for community advisory councils established by health services and hospitals. Activities of the project included interviews, focus groups and forums conducted with service providers, staff and represented and non represented consumers. The project highlighted a lack of commonality in approaches to consumer participation. Outcomes of the project included the development of a Community Advisory Council Participation Plan. The plan is included as an appendix to this report.
A strong patients’ voice to drive better health in Europe Conference on Health Literacy 8-9 April 2008 Main conclusions and recommendations
Seven main conclusions and a series of recommendations are presented in a five pages document. One of the main conclusions is that “from a patient’s perspective, the knowledge and competence gained through health literacy lead to the strength and empowerment needed to manage well a disease/condition and its impacts on quality of life”.
Feedback, participation and consumer diversity: a literature review
Concerned about consumer groups being excluded from participation in mainstream processes, this project was undertaken to draw together existing information about participation of consumers previously marginalised from participating in health services planning.
This directory allows health services to search on line for consumer organisations with members willing to become involved in quality improvement
Guide to Enhancing Consumer and Carer Participation in Victoria's Integrated Cancer Services
This guide was developed through consultation with 150 people and aims to assist Integrated Cancer Services to plan and engage in meaningful consumer and carer participation as part of their quality improvement. The guide includes participation methods, case studies and references.
The partnership for this study was between the Epworth Hospital and the Endometriosis Association (Vic) Inc. The aim of the study was to discern the information needs of women facing laparoscopy for endometriosis, and to develop an information strategy and pathway that would meet these needs.
Hazard and Risk: Perception and Reality
The question is often asked: “Where is the evidence that the individual can make a difference?” This article explores the concepts of hazard and risk, using as an example events that happened over 20 years ago, where, as a result of an individual’s letter, a group of concerned people met in a Standards Association committee and drafted documents. This in turn created the situation where Australia led the world in protecting people working in hospitals and established standards for the safe handling of cytotoxic drugs.
Health care: An overview and evaluation
This paper describes a study to evaluate the impact of the standards about participation on practice in an adult mental health service. Hospital and community files were audited for evidence of participation and for surveys of carers and consumers relating to the quality of participation. The audits were undertaken before and after the introduction of standards.
Healthy Hawkesbury: Improving accountability and responsiveness to consumers
Reports a project which aimed to enable consumers to participate in defining, evaluating and reporting on the quality of health service provision by the Hawkesbury District Health Service, NSW.
Illawarrra consumer confidence mechanisms and model of consumer participation
Final report of the Illawarra Consumer and Provider Partnerships Project, a partnership between Illawarra Area Health Service and the Illawarra Consumer Health Council. The project aimed to develop consumer confidence mechanisms within the health service. See related report on this website 'FAQ: Frequently asked questions about consumer participation in health'.
The Appendices section contains a draft community and consumer participation audit tool for hospitals; an organisational assessment tool; and a tool to assess workforce capacity. Other sections of this resource are also available from this website.
Section 1 of a guide for health organisations wanting to increase consumer participation in the planning, management and evaluation of their organisations. This section includes information on the principles, benefits and levels of consumer participation, assessing organisational capacity for change, and methods and models for implementing and evaluating consumer participation. This file contains Section 1 only of the resource. Sections 2 - 7 plus appendices are also available from this website.
This is another evidence-based health information site is from the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care. Readers can rate the usefulness of each piece of information and comment on it. There are other interesting interactive aspects to the site, which was developed with consumer input.
International Forum on Quality & Safety in Healthcare, Berlin 2009
Good practice examples form the International Forum on Quality & Safety in Healthcare, Berlin 2009. Watch the plenaries and check out the posters. Contribute to ongoing discussion.
Involving consumers in improving hospital care: lessons from Australian hospitals
The aim of this project was to write a report directed at hospitals which provides examples from Australian hospitals of how consumer partnership can be used to improve quality of care. This report provides the first analytical account of what might make consumer partnership work in hospitals. It contains a range of case studies and a few good examples of consumer participation.
Listening and learning: ACT Health consumer feedback standards
The ACT Health Consumer Feedback Standards have been developed to improve feedback mnechanisms for consumers and staff and to improve the quality and safety of health care in the ACT. The standards identify essential elements of a quality consumer feedback system for health services. The standards are accompanied by a Service Improvement Tool which enables health aservices to continuously assess and improve their practices for managing consumer feedback.
Looking for a Consumer Organisation?
This directory compiled by the Victorian Quality Council allows health services to search for consumer organisations with members willing to become involved in quality improvement. Each entry includes contact details for the organisation along with its aims and activities. Entries are listed both alphabetically by name and by category. Other features of the site include lists of other directories, peak bodies and links to useful websites.
New Resources added for March 2010- Patients as partners in care
New resources added to our website for March 2010
New indicators for consumer, carer and community participation
The Statewide Quality Branch of the Department of Human Services has commissioned Health Issues Centre to develop a comprehensive suite of consumer, carer and community performance indicators for Victorian health services.
Open Disclosure: When Things Go Wrong
The middle of a crisis in medical indemnity insurance may seem an odd time to be calling for more open communication between providers and consumers when things go wrong. But that’s exactly what the Australian Council for Safety and Quality has done as part of its program for improving the safety of Australia’s health care system. So far the idea has been warmly welcomed not only by health professionals, hospitals and consumers, but also by insurers and lawyers. This article looks at the National Open Disclosure project and describes the findings of a literature review and legal review completed as part of the project.
Organisational self-assessment and planning tool for consumer and community participation
This self-assessment tool is designed to assist organisations to determine their commitment and capacity regarding consumer and community participation, and to identify areas of practice that could benefit from consumer participation.
Patient Participation: Current Knowledge and Applicability to Patient Safety
This article will be highly relevant to people undertaking research, and for people working in quality and safety contexts. Table 4 provides an analysis of medical errors and the potential roles for patients in preventing such errors.
Patient Safety at Johns Hopkins Medicine
Johns Hopkins Hospital is committed to excellence. A very important part of that excellence is our commitment to your safety. Patients who are more involved with their care in the hospital tend to do better and stay safer. By working together with physicians, nurses and other hospital staff, you can lower your risk of injury and make your hospital stay as safe as possible.
Primary care self assessment tool for community and consumer participation, V1.0
A tool to assist organisations to assess their community and consumer participation activities.
Producing a Quality of Care Report with consumers: the positives, challenges and lessons learnt
In 2008, the Department of Human Services (DHS) made it a requirement that all stand-alone community health centres produce a Quality of Care Report. The purpose of this report is to describe quality and safety systems, processes, and outcomes of the health service to consumers and the local community. DHS advised that health services should consult with consumers, carers and community members about the content of the report. Inner South Community Health Service (ISCHS) decided to set up a short-term working group, involving consumers and staff, to produce this report. This article documents some lessons learnt and some of the challenges associated with the working group.
Project to support nurses to involve consumers in their health care.
An eight month project which sought to examine issues (barriers) which impact upon the development of nurse-consumer partnerships in acute health care. Results from pre and post-workshop surveys of nurses' attitudes to nurse-consumer partnerships demonstrate a strong belief in and commitment to the notion of partnership.
In 2005, draft guidelines were published for reporting studies of health care quality improvement interventions.
The article contains the full revised version of the guidelines, which the authors refer to as SQUIRE (Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence).
QQUIP – the Quest for Quality and Improved Performance
This website provides a source of independent data and commentary about the quality and performance of health care in England
Quality Health Care Conversation Consumer Consultation
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) is currently developing a National Safety and Quality Framework for Australia. The framework is designed to guide action to improve safety and quality of care in all healthcare settings over the next decade.
Queensland Health: community engagement handbook
A handbook developed by the Consumer and Community Participation Program Area of the Quality Improvement and Enhancement Program for use by District Health Councils. The handbook is a companion document to the Consumer and community participation toolkit developed for Queensland Health Staff. The toolkit is also available from this website.
Refugee consumer voice : how to ensure it makes a difference
The refugee health project was a consumer participation project which aimed to ensure that health services meet the needs of newly arrived refugees in Brisbane inner south suburbs. Partners in the project were the Brisbane Inner South Division of General Practice and the Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma. The objectives of the project were to obtain refugee feedback about services, and to ensure ongoing consumer involvement in the planning and development about services. The project focused on training, resourcing and supporting consumer consultants.
Response to Draft National Patient Charter of Rights
In March 2008, Health Issues Centre provided feedback to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare on the Draft National Patient Charter of Rights.
Response to Principles and Guidelines for Newborn Screening
Health Issues Centre commented on the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council (AHMAC) discussion paper concerning the principles and guidelines for newborn screening across Australia.
Response to the Consumers Health Forum of Australia Draft Information Paper:Community Quality Use of Medicines 2008-09 Project
This report contains a summary of the findings of the review including key performance issues for consumers, and the principles and guidelines for reporting to consumers on health service quality which were developed as a result of the review.
The Center for Enterprise Quality and Safety (CEQS)
The Center for Enterprise Quality and Safety (CEQS) manages and supports patient safety and quality initiatives through provision of expertise in identification, implementation, and measurement improvement processes.
The CEQS works in partnership with the Program for Quality, Safety and Patient Rights to assure that information and resources are available to put the University of Kentucky at the vanguard of operational quality and safety and to be continuously innovative in its approach to patient care.
The Consumer voice and experience must underpin and shape safety and quality in health care
Patient Safety and Quality of Care are key core areas in health care, both in Australia and worldwide. The collective consumer movement in Australia and its input to the safety and quality agenda is considered a world leader. So are its efforts and contributions in partnering to make health care safer and of a quality that meets all health consumers’ needs. Consumers have driven core issues such as standards and processes for openness and transparency, health rights, safer use of medicines, as well as better patient identification and wider access to services and continuity of care as people transfer from the care of one health professional to another. The experience and wisdom of consumers positively impacts on improvement in every dimension of health care quality.
The Good Indicators Guide: Understanding how to use and choose indicators
This guide is intended to be a short, practical resource for anyone in any health system who is responsible for using indicators to monitor and improve performance, systems or outcomes
The Safety and Quality of Health Care: Where are we now?
Measurement of safety and quality is fundamental to health care delivery. • A variety of measures are needed to fully understand the system; quantitative and qualitative measures are both useful in different ways. Measures need to be valid, reliable, accurate, timely, collectable, meaningful, relevant and important to those who will use them.
The role of patient satisfaction surveys in a national approach to hospital quality management
This report is very critical of much of the activity undertaken under the rubic of patient satisfaction and subjects the concept itself, as well as its operation, to critical analysis. Consists of 13 chapters with Chapter 9 covering a review of the issues in surveying patient satisfaction; the history and context of measuring satisfaction; how patient satisfaction is defined and and how data is used.
A good complaints management system encourages consumers to let health care services know if they have a concern or need further explanation. Health care services that establish systems to respond to consumer feedback maximise their opportunities to learn from consumers and to make improvements to their service. Complaints should be treated as a source of information for incident monitoring, forming part of an overall safety and quality improvement program. This article describes the Turning Wrongs Into Rights project, sponsored by the Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care and Health Care Complaints Commissions and the subsequent Better Practice Guidelines on Complaints Management developed to assist health care services improve the way they deal with complaints.
This document has two main purposes. It is a tool for the Board and staff of UMH&CS and WBNH and the people of the Upper Murray and it is also an information resource to assist those wishing to undertake a comprehensive, population-based, health and community service
needs assessment. The process to develop this resource was unusual in that it combined an epidemiological and evidence-based approach, with a high level of community participation.
Using Consumer Groups in an Audit of Complaints
This article describes a pilot of an audit of one form of feedback-complaints- in the Victorian breast cancer screening program. The core activity of the audit was the use of consumer groups to review individual consumers' complaints.
Victorian Department of Human Services
The Victorian Department of Human Services supports a range of initiatives which promote and support consumer involvement in decision-making about their own treatment and care, in service development and quality improvement, and more broadly, in health policy developments.
West Australia Health Consumer’s Council: Patient First Ambassador Project
The Patient First Ambassador project is a unique initiative to encourage health consumers in Western Australia (WA) to become more informed and involved in their health care and management, with the potential to reduce health related errors in the health system and result in less anxiety and stress, a quicker recovery time and less cost. The project, now in its second year, has volunteer consumers distribute the Patient First booklet direct to health consumers.
Working with consumers in NSW Health. Guidelines for Secretariat
This circular is designed to provide guidelines for the secretariat of departmental committees to support consumer representatives appointed to their committee. Could be adapted for use in other health services.
