Patients’ experience of outsourcing and care related to magnetic resonance examinations

Abstract

BackgroundOutsourcing radiological examinations from public university hospitals affects the patient, who has to attend a different clinic or hospital for the radiological examination. We currently have a limited understanding of how patients view outsourcing and their care related to MR examinations.AimAim. To examine the experiences of patients who are sent to private radiology units when their referrals for MR examinations are outsourced from a university hospital, as well as to explore factors which influence patient satisfaction regarding the quality of care related to the MR examination.MethodsA group of patients (n = 160) referred for MR examinations and either examined at a university hospital or at an external private unit were interviewed. The interview was designed as a verbal questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Student’s t test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson’s correlation.ResultsSixty-nine percent of the patients could neither choose nor influence the location at which they were examined. For those who could, aspects that influenced the patient’s choice of radiology department were: short waiting time 79% (127/160), ease of traveling to the radiology department 68% (110/160), and short distance to their home or work 58% (93/160). For 40% (60/160) of the patients, a short time in the waiting room was related to a positive experience of the MR examination.ConclusionConclusion. If patients were informed about outsourcing and could also choose where to have their examination, key factors contributing to patient satisfaction could be met even when MR examinations are outsourced.

Referring physicians' experiences of outsourcing radiological examinations – A variety of views on the consequences

“…no more new information (codes) emerged during the analysis (157,158), after interviews with a small number of referring physicians. A second limitation is that this study assessed the outsourcing experience and it is possible that personal views influenced that experience (41). How different people perceive outsourcing depends on their subjective interpretation of the phenomenon.…”

“…Outsourcing is a challenge for managers who plan and provide radiological services in public hospitals and the outsourcing itself becomes a crucial task for the healthcare provider (39). Outsourcing radiological services changes the relationship between patients, physicians, referring physicians and radiologists in radiology departments (39,40,41). According to Peter Holbrook, "This is not an issue of whether or not to outsource public services but about how public bodies allow the markets to be shaped and the sort of firms they choose" (42, Page 1).…”

“…The interview questions also included background questions, which sought to obtain patient sociodemographic data, such as age, occupation, education level and physical and psychological well-being. The verbal questionnaire consisted of 34 questions of which 10 were follow-up questions (41). In total, 20 of the items about patient experiences had a five-point response scale; three had a four-point scale and seven questions had a three-point scale.…”

“…In total, 20 of the items about patient experiences had a five-point response scale; three had a four-point scale and seven questions had a three-point scale. See Appendix (41). The last step was to validate the questions, which is very important for the collection of significant and accurate information.…”