Beyond providing access to medical services, health systems are increasingly focusing on improving patient experience when interacting with health care providers, especially since these have become part of their performance framework. Health systems are seeking to become more patient-centered, which involves involving patients in decisions regarding their treatment and promoting accountability and transparency from providers.
Given the importance of measuring, monitoring and using patient-reported data for improving health system performance, many countries collect patient-reported experience measures (PREMs), covering samples of patients who have experienced inpatient or outpatient care. The OECD started the Patient-Reported Indicators Surveys (PaRIS) initiative in 2018. Additionally, the Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey collects data on patient experiences in 11 OECD countries. The 2017 round focused on older adults, aged 65 and above.
Communication between doctors and patients is one of the aspects considered in PREMs. Providing patients with relevant information of, and influence over their treatment is key to including them as co-producers of their own health, especially regarding self-care practices. According to the Commonwealth Fund Survey in 2017, on average, 59% of older patients in OECD countries reported that their regular doctor involves them in decisions regarding care and treatment. Some 73% of patients in the United States and 72% in New Zealand indicated being consulted by their regular doctor, while only 26% of French patients reported being involved in such decisions.
Long waiting lists can worsen patient symptoms (Siciliani, Borowitz and Moran, 2013) and have a negative impact on patient experience. According to the 2017 Commonwealth Fund Survey, on average 15% of older adults had to wait two months or longer for an appointment with a specialist after a referral by a general practitioner. In Switzerland and the Netherlands only 5% of respondents reported having such a long wait, while the proportion rose to 22% in Norway and 28% in Canada.
Surgical intervention is generally required to repair or replace the hip joint following a hip fracture. There is consensus that early surgical intervention maximises patient outcomes and minimises the risk of complications (OECD, forthcoming). On average, 81% of people who needed a hip replacement surgery were operated on within two days in 2017 (a 3 p.p. increase from 2012). Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands have the highest rate, with over 96% of patients being operated within two days. This was the case for less than half of the patients in Latvia and Portugal. Israel has shown the greatest improvement, from 68% to 89% since 2012.
