Resources

In healthcare, the terms clinical governance and quality are often used interchangeably. While related, they are not the same—and understanding the difference matters.

Clinical governance can sometimes feel abstract - something that lives in policies, frameworks, or accreditation standards. However, at AICG, we believe that clinical governance should be operational, grounded in the day-to-day work of healthcare services.

Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) and Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) have been in use for many years.  Their value in integrating the consumer experience with other care measures is well-recognised, however, they are yet to be universally adopted. The authors suggest that there are common challenges that health services must address to support successful implementation of PROMs and PREMs as ‘business as usual’ measures and suggest actions for tackling them.

When Paul ran a session with a senior medical group on accreditation, he was all ready to go through the standards; but then decided to take a different approach.  What he learned made a difference to that accreditation assessment and has stood him in good stead ever since. 

The PaRIS survey is an OECD initiative designed to systematically collect patient-reported data on experiences and outcomes in primary care, particularly among individuals with chronic conditions across OECD countries. The findings paint a useful picture for all health and human service organisations (not just primary care) on the consumer experience. 

We all understand that the essential role of patient experience in achieving successful healthcare delivery. Or do we? This article argues that really understanding the patient experience in such a way that it drives organisation-wide improvement,  requires a comprehensive view that captures the full range of interactions across a health service organisation, beyond completing a survey.

Listening to patient voices has many benefits and is proven to contribute to care and service improvement. This article describes how consumers can help healthcare organisations detect and address performance drift, described as gradual deviations from best practice that become normalised over time.  

Consumer-directed care, consumer-centred care, consumer-focused care - whatever terms are used in your sector - remains a work in progress across human services.  Some sectors have embraced and refined their approach to consumer decision-making and partnerships over many years; for others it remains a current challenge.  Aged care, in particular, demonstrates some unique barriers to partnering with consumers in their care, as highlighted by this systematic review which examined the evidence relating to consumer-directed care (CDC) in the aged care environment.  

This storytelling guide is a guide for consumers and their support network who want to share their stories in such a way that they transform the human experience in healthcare. While storytelling is a powerful way to convey experiences in all areas of life, in health and human services it is vital for those advocating for change. 

Historically, consumers have been passive recipients of healthcare services, receiving diagnoses and treatments without active involvement. Recently, that has changed, with co-design and person-centred care part of the treatment process. However, diagnosis has rarely been a domain for partnership (other than in history taking). The article identifies several challenges to consumer involvement, including communication barriers, lack of fit for purpose information, and mistrust or fear or health professionals.