Why do people share their stories on Patient Opinion?

I went with a family member to a non-urgent ultra-sound at our local teaching hospital last week. The appointment was part of an extra session run on a Saturday morning and it was great they had organised it. But – perhaps because it was a non-routine Saturday morning - the system at the clinic was chaotic and we ended up waiting more than 90 minutes. We fumed about how what we needed was an iPhone app so we could tell Patient Opinion how bad their system was right there and then.

But when it was all over an interesting thing happened. ‘So you’re going to tell them how lousy their booking system is on Patient Opinion right?’ I asked. To which the answer was ‘No, of course not!’

Unpicking this it became clear that frustration had quickly transmuted into gratitude and loyalty. And I realised that this was a good thing. Having an app to fire off about our immediate frustrations would in the end have left my companion feeling worse, not better, about the NHS – and that it is not in her long term interest.

So what we need to do is to recognise that people feel a whole range of things about their care and that gratitude, loyalty and desire not to bite the hand the cares for you are as important as frustration, anger and disappointment. What we at Patient Opinion need to do is to find a way to help people to share the totality of their experiences. To make sharing suggestions for improvement an essential part of being loyal and grateful.