ANZCA Patient Experience Survey – 2024 Complete Guide

Prior to the survey
1. Identify and invite a suitable administrator (e.g. administrative staff member, practice manager or nurse).< Anaesthetic Group acts as your administrator
2. Discuss with the administrator that they are responsible for:
* Selecting patients to be surveyed
* Distributing the survey
* Ensuring patients do not feel under pressure to respond positively
* Following-up on outstanding surveys
* Collating results, once a minimum number of surveys is received
* Selecting patients to be surveyed
< We do this + your form is available to all patients on our website linked from your profile page
3. Ask the administrator to sign the confidentiality section of the Patient experience survey confidentiality and CPD verification form.< We sign your form and provide it to you with your completed Summary report
4. It is highly recommended, but not mandatory, to invite a trusted colleague (feedback provider) to discuss your collated results with you in a confidential setting. This colleague ideally has some experience in providing feedback.
5. Ask your feedback provider to sign the confidentiality section of the Patient experience survey confidentiality and CPD verification form.< You choose a feedback provider (optional)
6. Work with the administrator to determine administration methodology with the same timing and method to be used for each patient.
To prevent recall bias and satisfaction scores being correlated with the procedural outcome, surveys should be administered within 2 weeks of the procedure.
Suggested timings are:
• Inpatients: between 2 and 4 days after surgery, ideally on the morning of the second postoperative day
• Day surgery patients: after recovery and prior to discharge
• Post-discharge: via electronic system, post or phone call.
Response rates differ depending on the timing and method of administration. Using the same approach for each patient is recommended. If the survey is administered via telephone after discharge, the same survey administrator should contact all patients selected to participate in the survey.< We create your form and the same form is always available to your patients from your profile page. Since most anaesthetic invoices / bills are usually sent shortly after the procedure, adding a note to your bill will serve as an easy and automated way to remind patients to complete your survey.

Survey period
7. Patients should be informed in advance that they might be asked to complete a patient experience survey regarding the care provided by their anaesthetist. Sample wording if provided under Patient information example below. Information might be provided in preadmission packs or verbally on admission and prior to seeing their anaesthetist. < To encourage more feedback from patients, Anaesthetic Group provides you with templates and examples
8. It is suggested that administrators distribute 20-30 surveys per specialist, noting a minimum of 15 completed forms are required for this activity. < Your form is available to all patients on our website linked from your profile page. We keep track of responses received. Patients can also be contacted on your behalf with permission.
9. To minimise bias, the administrator selects patients who are representative of the scope of the participant’s anaesthesia practice. < Your form is available to all patients on our website linked from your profile page.
10. Should a patient be unable to complete the survey independently, the administrator could read the questions and record the patient’s responses. It is preferable for the administrator to provide help rather than family members, as they may influence the patient’s response.
11. If using hard copy surveys, these may be returned via a survey deposit box. Patients are more likely to provide honest, valid and reliable responses if they are assured their responses will remain confidential. Along with the survey, patients should be provided with an envelope (with the name of the administrator and anaesthetist on the front) in which they can seal the completed survey. The sealed envelopes can then be forwarded to the administrator. This is particularly helpful if the department is conducting the survey as a group activity. < Patients are advised and assured their responses will remain confidential

Results and feedback conversation
12. The administrator collates the results of the patient experience survey on the Patient experience survey (anaesthesia) - summary form. < We do this. We collate your results and create your Summary form
13. Once a minimum of 15 survey results is collated, the completed summary form is forwarded to the anaesthetist and the feedback provider (as relevant). < We send you both the copy
14. One of the strengths of this process is that patients provide feedback in a confidential manner. The administrator should confidentially delete both the individual patient response forms and the summary form from their records. < We do this
15. If feedback provision is planned, please share a copy of Practical guidance for CPD feedback conversations with your feedback provider. < We share a copy of this with our email to your feedback provider
16. Following the feedback meeting, the feedback provider should confidentially destroy their copy of the summary form. < We mention this with our email to your feedback provider
17. The participant asks the administrator and feedback provider, as relevant, to sign the verification section of the Patient experience survey confidentiality and CPD verification form.< We provide the signed form (signed as your administrator) and your feedback provider signs the rest

ANZCA and FPM CPD program/portfolio recording
Participants record this activity under Category 1 Practice evaluation – reviewing performance: Patient experience survey, with the Patient experience survey confidentiality and CPD verification form uploaded as evidence. < We provide the information you require (number of forms, start & end date, verification form and the black copy of survey form used). You need to keep track of the total hours.
Feedback providers who are also CPD participants record this activity under Category 2 Knowledge and skills: Review of ANZCA/FPM Fellows, with the Patient experience survey confidentiality and CPD verification form uploaded as evidence.< Feedback providers can also record this activity