Different patient subgroup, different ranking? Which quality indicators do patients find important when choosing a hospital for hip- or knee arthroplasty?
Abstract:BackgroundPatients are increasingly expected to become active, critical consumers in healthcare. They can use comparative healthcare information presented on websites to make informed choices for healthcare providers. However, the use of this information has been limited so far. An obstacle can be that the information is not perceived as relevant by patients. Presenting only the most important quality indicators might improve the usefulness of this information. The aim of this study was to explore which qualit… Show more
“…The importance of the medical specialist in health care decision making [13,30] and the need for information about specialists’ interpersonal and communication skills and expertise [14] is also revealed in other research. The availability of online doctor-rating websites is growing and these websites have gained popularity among patients internationally [31-34].…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…This stresses the importance of making information as easy to understand as possible. It has also been shown that people have different information needs depending on the disease or condition [13,38]. Whether preferences for how information should be presented also differ among diseases is yet unknown.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…First, as part of the larger research project, we posted calls on websites of patient organizations for orthopedic patients and patients with eye disorders, on websites of Dutch associations for senior citizens, and on the website of the NPCF. Respondents to a questionnaire that was part of the research larger project could also enroll themselves in this study by reporting their interest at the end of the questionnaire [13]. Via this route, 56 patients were included.…”
BackgroundThe Internet is increasingly being used to provide patients with information about the quality of care of different health care providers. Although online comparative health care information is widely available internationally, and patients have been shown to be interested in this information, its effect on patients’ decision making is still limited.ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore patients’ preferences regarding information presentation and their values concerning tailored comparative health care information. Meeting patients’ information presentation needs might increase the perceived relevance and use of the information.MethodsA total of 38 people participated in 4 focus groups. Comparative health care information about hip and knee replacement surgery was used as a case example. One part of the interview focused on patients’ information presentation preferences, whereas the other part focused on patients’ values of tailored information (ie, showing reviews of patients with comparable demographics). The qualitative data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the constant comparative method.ResultsThe following themes were deduced from the transcripts: number of health care providers to be presented, order in which providers are presented, relevancy of tailoring patient reviews, and concerns about tailoring. Participants’ preferences differed concerning how many and in which order health care providers must be presented. Most participants had no interest in patient reviews that were shown for specific subgroups based on age, gender, or ethnicity. Concerns of tailoring were related to the representativeness of results and the complexity of information. A need for information about the medical specialist when choosing a hospital was stressed by several participants.ConclusionsThe preferences for how comparative health care information should be presented differ between people. “Information on demand” and information about the medical specialist might be promising ways to increase the relevancy and use of online comparative health care information. Future research should focus on how different groups of people use comparative health care information for different health care choices in real life.
“…The importance of the medical specialist in health care decision making [13,30] and the need for information about specialists’ interpersonal and communication skills and expertise [14] is also revealed in other research. The availability of online doctor-rating websites is growing and these websites have gained popularity among patients internationally [31-34].…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…This stresses the importance of making information as easy to understand as possible. It has also been shown that people have different information needs depending on the disease or condition [13,38]. Whether preferences for how information should be presented also differ among diseases is yet unknown.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…First, as part of the larger research project, we posted calls on websites of patient organizations for orthopedic patients and patients with eye disorders, on websites of Dutch associations for senior citizens, and on the website of the NPCF. Respondents to a questionnaire that was part of the research larger project could also enroll themselves in this study by reporting their interest at the end of the questionnaire [13]. Via this route, 56 patients were included.…”
BackgroundThe Internet is increasingly being used to provide patients with information about the quality of care of different health care providers. Although online comparative health care information is widely available internationally, and patients have been shown to be interested in this information, its effect on patients’ decision making is still limited.ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore patients’ preferences regarding information presentation and their values concerning tailored comparative health care information. Meeting patients’ information presentation needs might increase the perceived relevance and use of the information.MethodsA total of 38 people participated in 4 focus groups. Comparative health care information about hip and knee replacement surgery was used as a case example. One part of the interview focused on patients’ information presentation preferences, whereas the other part focused on patients’ values of tailored information (ie, showing reviews of patients with comparable demographics). The qualitative data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the constant comparative method.ResultsThe following themes were deduced from the transcripts: number of health care providers to be presented, order in which providers are presented, relevancy of tailoring patient reviews, and concerns about tailoring. Participants’ preferences differed concerning how many and in which order health care providers must be presented. Most participants had no interest in patient reviews that were shown for specific subgroups based on age, gender, or ethnicity. Concerns of tailoring were related to the representativeness of results and the complexity of information. A need for information about the medical specialist when choosing a hospital was stressed by several participants.ConclusionsThe preferences for how comparative health care information should be presented differ between people. “Information on demand” and information about the medical specialist might be promising ways to increase the relevancy and use of online comparative health care information. Future research should focus on how different groups of people use comparative health care information for different health care choices in real life.
“…The factors included the available CPI for hip and knee replacements in the Netherlands, which gave the name of the organisation and the clinical performance of the care providers. Formally, ‘distance’ and ‘reputation’ are not CPI, but they were included because they are important to patients [ 9 , 11 , 28 ]. In this sense, such information can be seen as part of the performance of the healthcare system.…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…American and British studies have shown that the actual use of CPI for hospital care is restricted to 4–14% of the consumers [ 5 , 6 ], while the idea of choice appeals to most consumers [ 7 ]. Several Dutch studies of CPI for total hip or knee replacements have been performed [ 8 - 11 ]. The patients in Moser and colleagues’ study considered CPI to be an additional source of information when they were preparing for a doctor’s appointment.…”
BackgroundChoice of hospital based on comparative performance information (CPI) was introduced for Dutch healthcare consumers at least 5 years ago, but CPI use has not yet become commonplace. Our aim was to assess the role of patients’ expectations regarding variation in the quality of hospital care in determining whether they search for CPI.MethodsA questionnaire (for a cross-sectional survey) was distributed to 475 orthopaedic patients in a consecutive sample, who underwent primary hip or knee replacement in a university, teaching, or community hospital between September 2009 and July 2010.ResultsOf the 302 patients (63%) who responded, 13% reported searching for CPI to help them choose a hospital. People who expected quality differences between hospitals (67%) were more likely to search for CPI (OR =3.18 [95% CI: 1.02–9.89]; p <0.04) than those who did not. Quality differences were most often expected in hospital reputation, distance, and accessibility. Patients who did not search for CPI stated that they felt no need for this type of information.ConclusionPatients’ expectations regarding variation in quality of care are positively related to their reported search for CPI. To increase the relevance of CPI for patients, future studies should explore the underlying reasoning of patients about meaningful quality-of-care variation between hospitals.
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