PEMBROKE – As part of a broad-based customer service initiative taking place this summer, the Pembroke Regional Hospital is now seeking more detailed feedback about the patient experience through an 11-question online survey on the hospital’s website.
“Already, we have collected some valuable input through an initial three-question survey which was conducted at various public sites in the region throughout July and early August,” said Carolyn Levesque, the hospital’s Public Affairs and Communications Coordinator.
A total of 529 surveys were completed at locations including farmer’s markets in Pembroke and Cobden, the Beachburg Fair, Giant Tiger, Canex, Eganville’s Foodland, Independent Grocer in Petawawa, and Pembroke’s waterfront.
“Through this we gained information about hospital use, quality of care and how likely it is that our patients and their families would recommend our hospital to others,” Ms. Levesque said, noting that, while there is always room for improvement, nearly 40% rated the hospital’s quality of care as “Very High” while 29% rated it as “High”. In addition just over 54% of respondents said they would rate the likelihood of them recommending PRH to a friend or family member at an 8, 9 or 10 on a scale of 1 to 10.
In addition to answering the questions, Ms. Levesque said that many people took the time to share their personal hospital experiences with members of the survey teams. Many of those anecdotes are also being reflected in a report on this first phase of the initiative as they reflect the type of perception people have about Pembroke Regional Hospital.
“As an organization we are always seeking ways to improve the services we offer and one way to do that, is to speak directly with those who use our services. It’s helpful for us to get their feedback on what worked well for them, and learn more about which areas need improvement,” said PRH President and CEO Pierre Noel.
That is why the public is now being asked to take a few moments to complete the hospital’s online survey under the “Your Feedback” on the hospital’s website www.pembrokeregionalhospital.ca. The site is also being promoted through the hospital’s Facebook page as a “Like and Share” contest with the chance to win a $40 PRH gift card which can be used in The Lunch Box, The Mural Café and The Sunshine Gift Shop. A winner will be announced August 31.
“By collecting this information, we can get a much clearer picture of some of the areas we need to focus on in terms of improvement or at least confirm that we are making positives changes in some of the right areas. The more feedback we can collect, the better the outcome will be in terms of having results be reflective of the population we serve,” Mr. Noel said.
Currently 65 online surveys have been completed.
The third and final phase of the customer service initiative will be the collection of information through community-based focus groups.
In order to maximize the number of people available to take part, dates and locations are now being looked at in September and October. These will be publicized once the bookings are complete.
In the meantime it is hoped that online survey completion will increase.
“One thing we heard from people who had concerns about the care they or a loved one received at our hospital was that, in some cases, their concerns were not shared with anyone who had the ability to rectify the situation,” Ms. Levesque said.
“We hope that through the online survey and the focus groups, both improvement ideas and other comments about the hospital and the care received in our organization will be brought forward. By doing so we can look to make improvements in identified areas and also validate that the work being done in a variety of areas is meeting the needs and expectations of those in our care.”
