Introduction
Collecting patients’ experiences with care provision is essential to evaluate the quality of care in general, and patient-centeredness in particular, one of the core dimensions of high-quality care. These experiences are typically gathered through patient experience surveys with multiple questions designed to capture experiences throughout the entire care pathway. Determining which specific aspects of patient experience are the most crucial and require prioritization to enhance quality of care is challenging. The objective of this secondary analysis of a patient experience survey in cancer care was to identify the main drivers of patients' overall cancer care rating among various patient experience items.
Methods
Data from 2750 patients diagnosed with cancer from the Swiss Cancer Patient Experiences-2 (SCAPE-2) study were included in the analyses. This cross-sectional survey, conducted in eight Swiss hospitals from September 2021 to February 2022, collected data with a self-administered questionnaire, including questions on experiences of care, as well as socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. Two patient partners were involved in various activities throughout the study, such as pre-testing the questionnaire, developing the patient study materials, preparing lay summaries of findings for respondents, and disseminating results. The study was approved by the Cantonal Research Ethics Committee, Vaud (CER-VD). We used stepwise logistic regressions to analyze the relationship between the overall rating of cancer care and 29 patient experience items, adjusting for sex, age, self-rated health, financial hardship, and health literacy.
Results
The average rating for patients’ overall cancer care experience was 8.9 on a 0-10 scale. In separate regression models, every patient experience item was significantly associated with overall care rating. Adjusted stepwise regressions indicated that seven drivers, covering six of the eight dimensions of patient-centered care, contributed significantly to overall care rating in the final model. The most influential drivers related to the coordination and integration dimension (“professionals working well together” and “tests and exams not repeated unnecessarily”) and physical comfort dimension (“being offered advice and support to deal with symptoms”). Additional drivers included “Hospital staff ensuring availability of support/equipment at home”, “Being offered to see health professional for emotional support at diagnosis”, “Treatment options being explained” and “Being involved in treatment decisions”.
Conclusion
Among the 29 patient experience items of the multidimensional SCAPE questionnaire, seven were associated with overall rating of cancer care. By directing attention to these particular areas, hospitals can improve the overall patient experience, as well as effectively allocate resources for initiatives aimed at enhancing patient experience.