Dr Ruth Cox1, Dr Jayne Hewitt1,4, Dr Emilia Dauway1, Dr Jodie Nixon3,5, Dr Sanjeev Naidu1, Mr Alex McConnell1, Dr Faiza El-Higzi1, Prof Liz Ward2,3
1QEII Jubilee Hospital, Metro South Health, Coopers Plains, Australia, 2Centre for Functioning and Health Research (CFAHR), Metro South Health, Buranda, Australia, 3School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 4School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia, 5Clinical Governance, Risk and Legal, Metro South Health, Eight Mile Plains, Aus
Biography:
Dr Ruth Cox is the Director Occupational Therapy at the QEII Hospital, in Metro South Health, Brisbane Australia. She is passionate about partnering with consumers in quality improvement and research so that all voices can influence healthcare. Her other research interests include models of care, skill mix and co-design.
Abstract:
Background:
Person centred compassionate care (PCCC) enhances healthcare quality, safety and staff and patient wellbeing. However, hospital complaints and patient survey data suggest that PCCC is not consistently provided. Furthermore, there is little peer-reviewed evidence to guide PCCC. This mixed methods study aimed to explore patient perceptions of PCCC to identify areas of concern and strengths to build on.
Method:
Patients from a medical and a surgical ward completed the Sinclair Compassion Questionnaire (SCQ) about allied health, medical, and nurse professions. Five qualitative questions were also completed. An additional subset of patients and/or carers participated in a structured interview. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and reflexive thematic analysis.
Findings:
Sixty patients completed the SCQ, and 20 patients and/or carers were interviewed (39 medical, 41 surgical). Average age was 63.24 years (range 20.20 – 94.49), 50% were female, and participants were demographically diverse e.g. 35% culturally and linguistically diverse. The average SCQ score for allied health was 64/75 which was comparable to medical (63/75) and nursing (67/75). There were core themes for all professions to address including: See me as a whole person; Be in the moment; Partner with me; It’s a two-way street; and show you care.
Discussion:
Although allied health SCQ scores were high, participants shared powerful stories, both positive and negative, with messages for all professions to embrace. Implications for allied health will be discussed including promoting self-reflection and action planning to improve PCCC in health services. Consumer co-investigator videos will be included.