Patients who have concerns about their care in Winnipeg hospitals can voice their complaints immediately and speak with a Winnipeg Regional Health Authority manager before being discharged.
The WRHA’s online service experience survey allows patients in hospitals, or their family members, as well as people in long-term care facilities or community health service areas, to send in complaints or compliments 24/7. It’s part of a year-long pilot project that began this fall.
“The real-time, short-form surveys we’re piloting gives our teams the opportunity to take action with feedback right at the point of care to quickly improve their experiences almost immediately,” WRHA CEO and president Mike Nader said.
Between November and January, the WRHA received 100 requests from people wanting a call back. About two per cent of those calls were deemed potential patient safety events to investigate.
The health authority strives to connect with people who offer negative feedback within 24 hours, said Kerstin Jordan, the WRHA’s regional lead for quality patient safety and accreditation.
The pilot has been so successful, the WRHA is already negotiating with a private company to renew the contract, she said.
“Before, we had a long survey mailed out to patients, and getting it back took several weeks. By the time we got the responses, it was really too late to meaningfully reach out to patients. Now, this is a more real-time process,” Jordan said.
Molly McCracken, interim spokesperson for the Manitoba Health Coalition, said the online feedback is a positive step for patients.
“Information will lead to real change for a patient’s experience,” McCracken said.
“It sounds very promising to get patients’ experiences right at the moment it happens and to have a quick followup. That will address problems so that others don’t have to experience them.”
Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, was similarly enthused.
“We have people who sit in a unit for 18 hours for surgery, and they can now let the people know who can deal with it — that’s good,” she said. “If they can put their input in right away, it might help things change. I think this is positive.”
The survey is accessible at wfp.to/yVN. It asks two questions: on a scale of 0 to 10, rate your overall experience with (the facility or program); and overall, do you feel you were treated with dignity and respect while receiving care?
There is also a box where respondents can write in comments or suggestions.
It is the first question that can bring a quick response from the WRHA, Jordan said.
“If we receive a bad score we will followup. A score of four or less will create a pop-up where you are asked if you want a call,” she said.
The WRHA has addressed some of the feedback it has received, Jordan said. Some patients asked for more chairs for family members, while others said additional parking was needed for day patients at Riverview Health Centre.
“Sometimes after discharge, they will say, ‘I don’t think my medication is correct,’ or ‘I want to let you know my mom fell, and I don’t think you knew.’ A patient said being in hospital can be lonely and the volunteers were good. So then, we can tell the volunteers how much they were appreciated,” she said.
“This survey is geared for what is happening right now.”
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason
Reporter
Kevin Rollason is one of the more versatile reporters at the Winnipeg Free Press. Whether it is covering city hall, the law courts, or general reporting, Rollason can be counted on to not only answer the 5 Ws — Who, What, When, Where and Why — but to do it in an interesting and accessible way for readers.