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Patient and Family Experience in Health Care

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Care Sciences & Services".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 9218

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Kate Kynoch

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Guest Editor

Mater Health, Brisbane, Australia and Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation (AusHSI), School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia
Interests: acute care; information needs; patient experience; knowledge translation; evidence synthesis

Dr. Mary-Anne Ramis

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Guest Editor

Mater Health, Evidence in Practice Unit & Queensland Centre for Evidence Based Nursing and Midwifery: A Joanna Briggs Institute Centre of Excellence, 4101 Brisbane, Australia
Interests: acute care; evidence synthesis; knowledge translation; evidence-based practice education

Dr. Anthony G. Tuckett

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Guest Editor

Curtin School of Nursing, Curtin University, 6102 Perth, Australia
Interests: healthy ageing; nursing education; citizen science; older people
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Patient and family involvement are integral to providing optimal health care in the acute hospital setting. Ways in which patients and families can be involved in care may vary, and can add to the complexity of navigating the acute care health system from the perspective of both user and service provider. Patients will often rate the quality of their hospital experience according to staff communication, interactions and information provision. As a metric of healthcare quality, finding ways to improve patient experience is now a priority for acute health care organisations. Many reviews and papers have been published highlighting the challenges in meeting patient and family needs and expectations. Some of these include difficulties in providing tailored information, isolation due to infection control measures from the COVID-19 pandemic and resource limitations. However, innovative strategies have been implemented to overcome some of these challenges. These include hybrid and co-design methods which have been utilised in various ways to improve patient experience.

This Special Issue of IJERPH will present papers that report on the integration of patients and families into the acute care experience, across the life span. We will explore emerging and traditional methodologies that have been rigorously developed to meet patient and family needs and improve overall patient experience during their acute care journey. We welcome papers that report on all contexts within acute care such as oncology, maternity, elder care, medical, surgical and critical care units.

Dr. Kate Kynoch
Dr. Mary-Anne Ramis
Dr. Anthony Tuckett
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

acute care
patient experience
patient-centred care
family-centred care
co-design
patient information
qualitative
hybrid methods
mixed methods

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 355 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Parent Experiences in the NICU and Transition to Home

by Christine M. Spence, Corri L. Stuyvenberg, Audrey E. Kane, Jennifer Burnsed and Stacey C. Dusing

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(11), 6050; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20116050 - 04 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2984

Abstract

Families (n = 12) with infants born at <29 weeks gestation shared their experiences while in the NICU and transitioning home. Parents were interviewed 6–8 weeks after NICU discharge, including some during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings regarding the parent experience in the NICU were focused around challenges navigating parent-infant separation, social isolation, communication difficulties, limited knowledge of preterm infants, mental health challenges. Parents also discussed supports that were present and supports they wished were present, as well as the impact of COVID-19 on their experiences. In the transition to home, primary experiences included the sudden nature of the transition, anxiety around discharge preparation, and the loss of the support from nursing staff. During the first few weeks at home, parents expressed joy and anxiety, particularly around feeding. The COVID-19 pandemic limited emotional, informational, and physical support to parents and resulted in limited mutual support from other parents of infants in the NICU. Parents of preterm infants in the NICU present with multiple stressors, rendering attending to parental mental health crucial. NICU staff need to address logistical barriers and familial priorities impacting communication and parent-infant bonding. Providing multiple opportunities for communication, participating in caretaking activities, and meeting other families can be important sources of support and knowledge for parents of very preterm infants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Patient and Family Experience in Health Care)

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10 pages, 323 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Adolescents’ Experience during Brace Treatment for Scoliosis: A Qualitative Study

by Mei-Chun Cheung, Derry Law, Joanne Yip and Jason Pui Yin Cheung

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 10585; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710585 - 25 Aug 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2424

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the subjective experiences of adolescents with scoliosis during brace treatment in order to understand their obstacles and make recommendations to enhance brace compliance. Using purposive sampling, 15 adolescents (2 males and 13 females) with scoliosis aged from 10 to 16 years old during brace treatment were recruited to participate in semi-structured in-depth interviews. The data were recorded, transcribed, and coded using thematic analysis with the qualitative software NVivo 10. Significant statements and phrases were organized into categories and themes to understand adolescents’ experiences during brace treatment for scoliosis. In general, the adolescents acknowledged that compliance with brace treatment was essential to reduce or prevent the progression of spinal curvature and tried their best to comply with the treatment. Regarding their subjective experiences during brace treatment, three themes were identified and emerged as obstacles negatively affecting their brace compliance, including physical discomfort due to brace materials and design, reluctance caused by the brace’s visual appearance, and passive patient participation during the treatment process. This study reveals insights into the experiences of adolescents with scoliosis during brace treatment and what they perceive as hindrances to compliance. In order to have better brace compliance, adolescents’ feelings and difficulties during brace treatment should be recognized and addressed. Therefore, active patient participation throughout the treatment process, involving the co-design of a customized brace, psychosocial interventions, and personalized appearance style management should be considered and promoted to facilitate a more acceptable bracing experience to achieve better brace compliance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Patient and Family Experience in Health Care)

12 pages, 589 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Childbirth Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Hospital in Southwestern Spain

by María González-Morcillo, Esther Tiburcio-Palos, Sergio Cordovilla-Guardia, Esperanza Santano-Mogena and Cristina Franco-Antonio

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9636; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159636 - 05 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1311

Abstract

Satisfaction, in relation to care received, is a good indicator of quality of care. The objective of this study was to analyze the degree of satisfaction with childbirth and postpartum care as reported by women from one hospital in southwestern Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic. Factors that influenced care were also examined. A cross-sectional study was carried out between the months of October 2020 and February 2021. Satisfaction was measured through the COMFORTS scale, validated in Spanish. A final sample of 116 women was included in the study. The mean age was 32.08 (±4.68) years. A total of 111 (95.69%) women were satisfied or very satisfied with the care received. The median satisfaction score was higher among multiparous women (187 (199–173)) than among primiparous women (174 (193–155.50)) (p = 0.003). Differences in satisfaction were found as a function of the use of epidural analgesia, being higher among women who had planned its use but ultimately did not use it (188 (172.50–199.75)) or who planned its use and did (186 (169.50–198)) than among those who had not planned to use epidural analgesia but ultimately received it (173.50 (187.50–146.25)) or those who did not use it, as planned, before childbirth (172 (157–185)) (p = 0.020). Overall satisfaction rate between SARS-CoV-2-negative women assisted was high. Parity and use of epidural analgesia were two factors influencing satisfaction scores in our sample. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Patient and Family Experience in Health Care)

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13 pages, 301 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Challenges and Feasibility of Co-Design Methods for Improving Parent Information in Maternity Care

by Kathryn Kynoch, Anthony Tuckett, Annie McArdle and Mary-Anne Ramis

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(7), 3764; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19073764 - 22 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1344

Abstract

This study explored the feasibility of using experience-based co-design methods (EBCD), based on participatory action principles, to improve service delivery regarding parent information needs within a metropolitan postnatal maternity unit. Data were collected from January 2018 to March 2019 from parents and staff using surveys, video interviews, a focus group and ward observations of episodes where parents were provided information. Participants included postnatal mothers who had recently given birth, their partners and hospital staff. Survey results (n = 31) were positive regarding content and satisfaction with information delivery. Data from the staff focus group (seven participants) and in-depth video interviews with mothers (n = 4) identified common themes, including challenges to information delivery due to time pressures, the value of breastfeeding advice and environmental influences. Overall, parents were satisfied with the information delivered; however, inconsistencies were present, with time pressures and other environmental factors reported as influencing the process. Staff and parents both identified the amount of content being delivered in such a short time frame as a major challenge and tailoring information was difficult due to individual experiences and circumstances. Additional resources or alternative methods are suggested for conducting future studies to capture patient experience within a similar busy hospital setting. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Patient and Family Experience in Health Care)

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