Australia will take part in an international study into community-based health care that will explore the outcomes, experiences, and satisfaction of patients with chronic diseases who are treated in GP practices.
Australia is one of 20 countries participating in the inaugural Patient-Reported Indicator Survey (PaRIS) Health Survey, an initiative of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
For the first time, patients across the world living with a chronic condition are being asked to share their experiences so that healthcare providers can better understand their needs and in turn, improve care.
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care is implementing the survey here with ORIMA Research, on behalf of the Department of Health and Aged Care. The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete and examines:
- measures of physical and mental health
- experiences of GP consultations
- how health information is communicated.
Associate Professor Liz Marles, Clinical Director at the Commission, and a GP, said the PaRIS Health Survey provided a unique opportunity to learn more about the patient’s perspective.
“As a GP, I know that most practices will appreciate knowing more about the people they treat, what is working in our healthcare system, and what they can do better,” she said.
“Any new insights we can learn about patient experiences will fill the gaps in our knowledge about primary care – so we can work together to improve our services and ensure better patient outcomes.
“I’m especially keen to know how Australia’s primary care sector stacks up against other similar countries. The comparison with other practices across Australia will also be enlightening.”
GP practices across Australia are invited to sign up for the PaRIS Health Survey, open until 31 October and patients of practices who register can participate.
Participating GP practices will receive practice-level data at the conclusion of the survey, accessible via a dashboard on the Practice Portal, which will allow doctors to:
- View de-identified aggregate data from their patients – the data is cleaned, analysed and presented in clear graphs and charts
- Filter the data based on different demographic factors to enable comparisons between cohorts of patients
- Compare practice results with other de-identified practices – all other participating practices in Australia, other practices in the local area, and other practices of a similar size
While the OECD will only be analysing data from patients 45 years and over, GP practices will have the option of seeing data from all patients 18 years and over to provide a more representative data set.
“It is astonishing that nearly half of all Australians (46.6%) have one or more prevalent chronic conditions, and almost one in five (18.6%) have two or more chronic conditions, and we know that many more people live with other long-term health conditions that result in ongoing issues,” Associate Professor Marles said.
“By taking part in the survey on care they have received by GPs, patients can use their voice to make a difference and help shape the future of health care in this country.”