Introduction
To improve the quality of care and health outcomes of people with chronic conditions, health systems reshape care towards being more people-centred and coordinated. While primary care (PC) is expected to play a central role in this regard, little information is available on the performance of PC in most countries, especially in terms of patient-reported outcomes and experiences. Considering this critical gap, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was mandated by the Member States to set up a new international survey called “PaRIS survey of Patients with Chronic Conditions”. It was designed to provide insights on outcomes and experiences of care as reported by these patients. The OECD launched the PaRIS survey in 2022 in 21 countries, including Switzerland where Unisanté is conducting the field trial until March 2023.
Methods
The survey follows a nested design, with the recruitment of PC practices first and their patients subsequently. For the Swiss field trial, 125 PC providers were randomly sampled from the federal register of medical professions (MedReg). Up to 200 patients fulfilling the following eligibility criteria were then sampled by the participating practices: 1) aged ≥ 45 years; 2) living in the community; 3) ≥ 1 contact with the practice in the previous 6 months. Data are collected with two online questionnaires: the provider questionnaire collects information on the characteristics of PC practices and the patient questionnaire includes patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and experience measures (PREMs), and other characteristics (demographics, chronic conditions, health and care capabilities, health behaviours). The nested design allows analysis of the variation in patient-reported data in relation to characteristics of PC practices. All survey materials were developed and tested in German, French and Italian.
Results
We will provide insights on the implementation of the PaRIS survey in Switzerland, and present the preliminary results of the field trial. Based on the findings from the field trial, the main trial will take place in late 2023.
Conclusion
The PaRIS survey aims to collect valuable information on the performance of PC, as reported by patients, which is currently lacking in Switzerland and other countries. It also intends to facilitate international comparisons on how health systems respond to the needs of people with chronic conditions, and to foster cross-country learning.