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Criterion 2.1.2 Patient feedback

Our practice provides opportunities for, and responds to, patient feedback.

Explanation

Unique information about patient needs and the quality of care provided by a general practice can be gained from patients. Discussing consumer feedback and concerns openly helps people within the general practice to understand strengths in their practice, potential problems, and how to improve. It is helpful to know what patients think about a practice and what they are likely to tell other people. The more feedback a practice receives - whether it be complaints, compliments or suggestions - the better it will be able to provide care.

The 'Turning wrongs into rights: learning from consumer reported incidents project',³¹ a national project funded under the auspices of the Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC), has undertaken research on Australian health care services practices in complaints management, and has developed guidelines on complaints management in health care.

The importance and value of effective complaints management was expressed by the ACSQHC in its publication Better practice guidelines on complaints management for healthcare services³²:

'Customers (including patients and carers) have a unique expertise in relation to their own health and their perspective on how care is actually provided. Consumer complaints are therefore a unique source of information for health care services on how and why adverse events occur and how to prevent them. As well as reducing future harm to patients, better management of complaints should restore trust and reduce the risk of litigation, through open communication and a commitment to learn from the problem and prevent its recurrence'.

For after hours care services, Indicator B includes responding to feedback from the practices for which they deputise.

Indicators

1. our practice has a process for receiving and responding to feedback and complaints from patients and other people (document review).
2. our GP(s) and staff can describe the processes for receiving and responding to feedback and complaints from patients and other people (interview).
3. our practice makes contact information for the state/territory health complaints agency readily available to patients on request (interview, document review).
4. our practice has used patient feedback to establish whether patients of our practice are confident that any feedback and complaints they make to our practice would be handled appropriately (patient feedback).
5. our practice can describe an improvement we have made in response to patient feedback or complaints (interview).

Publication Date: 18 July 2007
Authorised By: Standards