Research chat 22:How is online patient feedback seen and used in three hospital trusts?

Research chat 22 was on the programme at our Autumn Conference, on 16 November 2023.

It was lovely to be able to welcome back Dr Lauren Ramsey of the University of Leeds, a regular research chat contributor, to talk about her most recent paper:

“Feedback is indeed a dainty dish to set before the Trust”: Comparing how online patient feedback is responded to and used across three hospital Trusts in England

The three trusts which were the subject of the research varied widely in their views of online feedback. In trust A, online feedback was ignored in favour of in-person PALS case handling, while in trust B generic responses were posted to all feedback by just one or two people. In trust C, online feedback was seen as a learning and improvement opportunity, a way to build trust between staff and patients, and a stimulus to fostering a more open culture.

Based on her work, Lauren offered some simple guidance for healthcare providers:

• engage with online feedback in addition to traditional approaches
• patient feedback should be seen as a collective and distributed responsibility, not just the job of a central team
• providers should make sure that patient experience work serves the objectives of listening and improving, not just reporting
• staff should be responding to feedback in an open conversational way (and could learn from organisations where this already happens)
• narrative feedback should retain its humanity and authenticity as it is shared with staff, to maximise impact.

I hope you enjoy the chat!

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