Researchers in England find little correlation between quality of care assessed by clinical measures and that assessed by patient experience measures, concluding that both are needed to avoid getting an unbalanced picture of quality.
Analyzing patient experience and clinical performance data from 7,759 practices in England, researchers found although the correlations between clinical quality summary scores and patient survey scores were all positive, the strength of the associations was weak, with the highest correlation coefficient reaching 0.18, and more than one-half 0.11 or less.
They found the strongest correlations with clinical quality were highest for patient assessments of access (ability to get through on the telephone 0.16, availability of urgent appointment 0.15, ability to book ahead 0.18, ability to see preferred doctor 0.17) and overall satisfaction (0.15). They found very low correlations between clinical quality and interpersonal aspects of care.
The authors conclude that clinical and patient experience domains of quality need to be considered separately when assessing the overall performance of a family practice.
Relationship Between Clinical Quality and Patient Experience: Analysis of Data From the English Quality and Outcomes Framework and the National GP Patient Survey
http://www.annfammed.org/content/11/5/467.full
By Nadia R. Llanwarne, MB, ChB, MA, et al
University of Cambridge, United Kingdom