The results immediately below are from our most recent survey, conducted between March 2016 and September 2016, and include:
Acute Care
Over 5,200 questionnaires were sent to individuals who were inpatients in the Medicine, Surgery, Cardiac Care, Children or Women’s Health Programs. The response rate was 33.1%.
Questionnaires were also sent to 64 individuals whose family members were patients in the Palliative Unit of the DR. Leonard A. Miller Centre, with a response rate of 45.3%.
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Areas of strength identified in Acute Care Programs included:
- Management of pain and discomfort
- Organization of admission process
- Health-care providers:
- treat patients with courtesy and respect
- speak to patients in a way they can understand/listen carefully
- give explanations/information about treatment and care
- let patient/parent know who to contact with questions or concerns after leaving the hospital
Areas for improvement identified in Acute Care Programs included:
- Explain medication side effects
- Reduce length of time for patient to be admitted to a room
- Improve food quality/variety/nutritional value/temperature
- Improve housekeeping, particularly in bathrooms, change linens more often
- Ensure patients’ privacy
- Reduce noise/crowds in ward rooms
- Involve family members/support people in decisions about care
- Arrange for support/resources needed for recovery after discharge
- Provide more information about possible complications after discharge
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Long-Term Care
Over 650 questionnaires were sent to individuals who had a family member in one of six Long-Term Care facilities (Bonavista Protective Care, Golden Heights Manor, Interfaith Citizen’s Home, Pentecostal Senior Citizen’s Home, Pleasant View Towers, Saint Luke’s Homes). The response rate was 45.9%. In-person interviews were also conducted with 45 Long-Term Care residents.
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Areas of strength identified in Long-Term Care included:
- Residents’ privacy is protected
- Public areas of the facilities are clean
- Health-care providers interact with residents in a kind and compassionate way
Areas for improvement identified in Long-Term Care included:
- Involve family members in planning residents’ care
- Keep family member informed about resident
- Respond to family members’ questions/concerns in a timely manner
- Provide more exercise for residents
- Concerns about being under-staffed and lack of consistency in staff members
- Loss of personal belonging
- Improve food (quality and variety)
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Home and Community Care
Approximately 1,500 questionnaires were sent to individuals who were clients of the Home and Community Care Program. The response rate was 30.6%.
Questionnaires were also sent to over 20 individuals whose family members had received services through the End of Life Program, with a response rate of 43.8%.
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Areas of strength identified in Home and Community Care included:
- Treated with courtesy and respect by service provider
- Provided with privacy when discussing issues
- Received information/explanations needed about treatment/care
Areas for improvement in Home and Community Care included:
- None identified by respondents
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Mental Health (Community Programs)
More than 650 questionnaires were sent to individuals who were clients of one of four Community Mental Health Programs (Bridges Program, Community Mental Health Counselling, Concurrent Disorders Services, START Clinic). The response rate was 14.2%.
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Areas of strength identified in Mental Health Community Services included:
- Privacy provided
- Service providers listened
- Facility/clinic was clean
Areas for improvement identified in Mental Health Community Services included:
- Wait times
- Explain medication side effects
- Provide information about other services and supports available in the community
- Feeling better prepared to deal with daily problems
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Mental Health (Acute Care)
Approximately 170 questionnaires were sent to individuals who were clients of Geriatric Psychiatry Services and the Geriatric Psychiatry Day Program. The response rate was 26.6%. Seven individuals who were receiving services at the Health Sciences Hospital Psychiatry unit were also interviewed.
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Areas of strength identified in Geriatric Psychiatry Services included:
- Feeling of safety
- Opportunities to ask questions
- Health-care providers spoke in understandable way
- Treated with courtesy and respect
Areas for improvement identified in Geriatric Psychiatry Services included:
- Provision of education about health issue
- Cleanliness of the health-care facility
- Availability of sufficient activities / activities of interest
- Wait time between referral and first appointment with psychiatrist
- Feeling better prepared to deal with daily problems / more ready to accomplish things
Areas of strength identified at Health Sciences Hospital Psychiatry Unit included:
- Privacy provided when discussing issues with staff
- Health-care providers spoke in understandable way
- Staff listened carefully
- Overall organization of the admission process
Areas for improvement at Health Sciences Hospital Psychiatry Unit included:
- Quality of the food
- Explanation of possible medication side effects
- Involving patient and family members/support people in decisions about treatment and care
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Cancer Care
Approximately 1,100 questionnaires were sent to outpatients who underwent active cancer treatments (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation) in the ambulatory oncology setting. The response rate was 49.5%.
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Areas of strength identified in Cancer Care included:
- physical comfort (how to manage side effects, control of pain/discomfort)
- respect for patient preferences (patient and family involvement in treatment; treated with dignity/respect)
- health-care providers deliver cancer diagnoses in a sensitive manner
Areas for improvement identified in Cancer Care included:
- access to emotional support (e.g. referral to other providers for anxiety/fear)
- provision of information, education, and communication (information on therapies, nutritional needs, energy changes)
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