Authors (including presenting author) :
LAU MHL, LEUNG KKL, CHUNG HHY, CHAU RMW
Affiliation :
Physiotherapy Department, Kowloon Hospital
Introduction :
Patient satisfaction is a subjective reflection which is measured by the congruence of healthcare service delivered and patients’ expectations. High patient satisfaction reflects the trust developed between corporate and community which brings positive influences on patients’ health, staff morale and service quality. Healthier population can be built with satisfied patients due to preferable clinical outcome from good compliance to recommended treatment. Economically, better clinical outcomes increase the efficiency of service with reduced healthcare expenditure(Shirley and Sanders, 2013). It also assists to improve staff morale which motivates their career development. Therefore, a preferable healthcare service outcome can be reached and made apparent by identifying the constituents of patient appreciations.
Objectives :
To investigate the determinants of patient appreciation from physiotherapy patients for service enhancement by incorporating those components into the existing practice.
Methodology :
A retrospective analysis was conducted to determine the contents of appreciation from patients receiving service from Kowloon Hospital Physiotherapy Department from January 2013 to December 2022.
Result & Outcome :
A total of 2712 pieces of appreciation were received and about three quarters of those were from the out-patient unit, which were predominantly expressed in the form of cards(50%), emails(12%), evaluation form(10%) and letters(9%), followed by fabricated flags and other decorative handicrafts(19%). The investigation indicated that interpersonal care and professionalism, including the scheduling and arrangement, were the most typical areas of appreciation. Interpersonal care refers to the caring and respectful staff attitude with components of impeccable logistics and arrangement, active listening and communication in treatment explanation, and demonstrating empathy with guidance and encouragement to create a comfortable patient experience during the whole episode of physiotherapy care which indicates the People-centred care, Committed Staff and Teamwork from the department. Patients also appreciated the Professionalism of staff with competency in delivering excellent physiotherapy service in terms of expertise in making diagnosis, performing skillful techniques and providing legitimate continuity of care. Subsequently, it would be easier to help people to stay healthy as they have higher acceptance to health education for disease prevention, more favourable to the recommended management for better compliance to treatment regimes(Batbaatar et al., 2017). Appreciations from patients establish happier staff which creates momentum at work as the energetic atmosphere improves staff retention, increases professional devotion, and motivates career development(Newman et al., 2001). This 10-year review reveals the components of patient appreciation from patients of Kowloon Hospital Physiotherapy Department reflected the goals reaching for Professionalism, People-centred care, Healthy Community and Happy Staff which are corresponded to the corporate’s Vision, Mission and Values.
