411experience. Results suggest that specifi c training with regard to the physical needs
and comfort of patients, and how patient experiences can be measured and used to
improve services, should be introduced. The report further suggested that future
developments should also focus, fi rstly, on involving a wider range of patients in
planning and delivering courses and, secondly, evaluating whether courses impact
on the attitudes and behaviors of different professional groups and might therefore
contribute to improved patient experiences [ 67 ]. Another study to evaluate the
effectiveness of patient-led teaching compared with doctor-led teaching, regarding
the impact of RA suggests that the patient was at least as good as a doctor at teach-
ing about the impact of chronic disease on patients and that students appreciated the
personal insight that a patient can offer [ 68 ]. Therefore a potential role for patients
in the training and teaching of healthcare professionals could be further explored.
Conclusion
The traditional view of the user as a passive recipient of a product or service has
begun to give way to the new view of users as integral to the improvement and inno-
vation process [ 43 ]. The challenge now is to effectively use patient experience to
drive improvements in service. A US study, aimed at understanding factors affecting
the use of patient survey data in quality improvement, highlighted that effective use
of patient survey data may require a more concerted effort than for other clinical
data. Organizations may need to develop cultures that support patient-centered care,
quality improvement capacity, and to align professional receptiveness and leader-
ship with technical expertise with the data [ 40 ]. Feedback on patients’ experiences
of healthcare is essential in order to determine priorities for quality improvement
and should be seen as an important element of performance assessment.
17 PROMs vs. PREMs (Patient-Reported Experience Measures)