Abstract

Background. Feedback on their performance is driving quality improvement in healthcare organizations. In this study, the researchers explore patient and visitor perceptions about the role data play in engaging them in their care, investigate which measures the patients and visitors find most useful, and assess their understanding of diverse processes, system performance, and patient outcome measures and alternative methods of presenting those data. Methods. This was a cross-sectional, mixed methods study that included consulting the Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) and conducting structured interviews with a convenience sample of patients and visitors not associated with the PFAC from 12 inpatient units across one healthcare system. The PFAC evaluated the graphic representations used to report 22 possible measures internally and suggest any changes needed to best communicate process, system performance, and patient outcomes data to patients and their visitors during their hospital stay. Results. Although the PFAC was very supportive of efforts for greater data transparency on patient-care units, it did not support displaying unit grades, levels of nursing specialty certification, or RN education levels, so these measures were excluded from this study. The PFAC recommended that the graphs be simplified as much as possible, including displaying just 1 year of monthly data. The PFAC requested that all axes be clearly labeled and that more standardization be provided and that the y-axes be extended on all graphs to avoid the appearance of high rates of safety issues. Discussion. This study demonstrated that patients and visitors have positive opinions about increasing data transparency around both patient experience and safety data at the point of care but find safety measures less useful and more difficult to understand relative to patient experience measures.