Feedback Project Focuses On Patients’ Needs

Click photo for larger image Dr. Elias Anaissie reviews a patient's comments regarding the Myeloma Institute as part of the Patient Initiated Quality Improvement Project

The Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy launched the Patient

Initiated Quality Improvement Project in January, a pilot program designed to improve the quality of clinical care and customer service at the center.

The six-month project, funded by a grant from the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation, involves the analysis of detailed patient feedback by a committee comprised of University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences staff and Myeloma Institute patients. A total of 12 patients are providing the committee with electronic feedback through e-mail regarding their clinical experiences and other aspects of treatment via e-mail, according to Dr. Elias Anaissie, the Myeloma Institute’s director of the Supportive Care Division.

“We’ve encouraged them to take notes while they are going to their appointments, seeing the nurse, seeing the doctor. We want to hear whatever they have to say, the good, the bad and the ugly,” said Anaissie, who is on the committee along with Dr. Charles Smith, UAMS’ medical director, and two MIRT patients.

All of the patients’ remarks are kept confidential, Anaissie said, adding that certain suggestions have already led to improvements in treatment processes.

“The healthcare system in this country and worldwide is not patient-friendly. We believe that the solution is not going to come from Congress or some think tank but from the patient. Empowering the patient as a partner, rather than a passive recipient of care, has the potential to transform healthcare in a most positive way! Patient issues must be taken into consideration and corrective action must be taken if we are to better serve our patients and improve our efficiency,” Anaissie said.

Besides the e-mail responses, the committee is also reviewing feedback forms handed out to patients during their clinic visits as well as written suggestions from those patients undergoing stem cell transplants.

“This idea is where the future of medicine is heading,” said Smith, who expects similar projects to be utilized in all UAMS clinics in the near future. “The doctor-patient encounter is becoming demystified, and patients are being encouraged to enter a partnership with the healthcare system to assure that the proper care is being given. This will provide us with guidance on how the system needs to change and make it more sensitive to patient needs.”