Resources

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.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) provides material for healthcare professionals on fulfilling their professional responsibilities across a range of issues. This guidance focuses on incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into clinical practice. It reminds us that practitioners remain accountable for delivering quality care, regardless of AI integration. 

As telehealth becomes a mainstream component of healthcare delivery, maintaining high standards for consultation and patient interaction is crucial to supporting quality care and experiences for consumers. The WHO Regional Office for Europe developed the ‘Telehealth Quality of Care Tool’ (TQoCT) to support healthcare organisations and Member States to assess and improve the quality of telehealth services. 

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.

In this Lightbulb Moment webinar, Dr Cathy Balding and her guest, Alex Cockram, discuss Alex's "ah-ha!" moment about the one word that transformed consumer focus.

Correct identification of patients has been recognised as a critical safety issue for many years. A recent report from the UK’s Health Services Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB), compiles evidence from various investigations and sources to explore the factors contributing to patient misidentification in healthcare. The report defines 'positive patient identification' as the accurate identification of a patient to ensure they receive the correct care. Whereas, 'patient misidentification' occurs when a patient is wrongly identified as someone else, leading to potential harm from incorrect or missed treatment.

There are many benefits of enhancing consumer and staff satisfaction in human services, but something we don’t often discuss is the potential financial advantage. Creating a great experience for both consumers and staff can be viewed as a professional and ethical imperative; and also as a strategic business investment.

This Perspectives Brief from the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association’s Deeble Institute examines approaches to observations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. The authors of this Perspectives Brief note that the Royal Commission ‘identified the need to improve the delivery of health care to meet the needs of older persons and their carers’ and that the ‘greater involvement of older persons and their carers in research to develop solutions was recommended.’