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Exploring the perspectives of patients about their care experience: identifying what patients perceive are important qualities in cancer care

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Abstract

Introduction

Delivering person-centered care begins with understanding perspectives of individuals who are recipients of care about their experiences and what constitutes a “positive” experience.

Methods

This project explored views of individuals with cancer regarding their care experiences and identified aspects of care patients thought were important through a qualitative analysis of data from the Ambulatory Oncology Patient Satisfaction Survey (AOPSS). Permission was obtained from seven Canadian provinces to access de-identified written comments to a final open-ended question on the survey: Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your cancer care experience? The descriptive qualitative analysis was guided by two questions: (1) what is the nature of the written comments and (2) what are key ideas expressed about care experiences? Key ideas were collated across provinces to identify significant themes within the national sample.

Results

The sample included comments from 6232 individuals. A total of 42.5% comments were positive, 29.7% were negative, and 19.8% were mixed. Four broad themes were identified from the comments: (1) characteristics of a “positive” experience, (2) personal care, (3) interaction with health care providers, and (4) service delivery. Respondents cited being treated as a person with respect and dignity, clear communication, access to relevant and timely information, and care that takes their needs into account as important aspects. Communication, consistency, and ongoing interactions with staff were highlighted as essential elements of a positive experience, yet areas where improvements in care are necessary.

Conclusion

Patients reported a range of aspects that contribute to positive and negative care experiences which can be used to guide quality improvement initiatives in cancer centers. Results underscore the importance of having data collection systems in place to ensure agencies and providers have timely feedback about patients’ experiences and concerns in order to provide responsive and individualized care.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge and thank the provincial cancer agencies and programs in provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador for providing their data for the purposes of this analysis project.

Funding

Production of this paper has been made possible through financial support from Health Canada to the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, 207 Chisholm Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M4C 4V9, Canada

    Margaret I. Fitch

  2. Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Andrea C. Coronado, Julia C. Schippke, Jennifer Chadder & Esther Green

Authors
  1. Margaret I. Fitch
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  2. Andrea C. Coronado
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  3. Julia C. Schippke
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  4. Jennifer Chadder
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  5. Esther Green
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Margaret I. Fitch.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

This is a retrospective study using de-identified survey data. All provincial cancer agencies and programs gave written permission for de-identified qualitative responses from the Ambulatory Oncology Patient Satisfaction Survey to be provided to the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. At no time did the authors engage directly with patients, neither were they able to identify, nor make any attempt to identify them.

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Fitch, M.I., Coronado, A.C., Schippke, J.C. et al. Exploring the perspectives of patients about their care experience: identifying what patients perceive are important qualities in cancer care. Support Care Cancer 28, 2299–2309 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-019-05057-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-019-05057-9

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