Table 3. Patient-Perceived Breakdowns Categorized Using the Patient Experience Coding Tool.
| Type of Patient-Perceived Breakdown | Overall (n=979) |
|---|---|
| Admission Process | |
| Delay or long wait on admission | 90 (9.2) |
|
| |
| Diagnosis | |
| Diagnosis delayed, no diagnosis; conflicting diagnoses; misdiagnosis | 33 (3.4) |
|
| |
| Testing | |
| Desired testing not offered/not available/denied/delayed | 21 (2.1) |
|
| |
| Treatments (other than medication), Procedures, Surgery | 34 (3.5) |
|
| |
| Desired treatment (other than medication) not provided; treatment provided too aggressive, not sufficiently aggressive; not given appropriate treatment | 13 (1.3) |
|
| |
| Problems with procedures | 11 (1.1) |
|
| |
| Unexpected or suboptimal surgical outcome (other than infection); patient believes surgery may have been/was performed poorly, or unnecessarily delayed | 4 (0.4) |
|
| |
| Infection | 7 (0.7) |
|
| |
| Medication-Related | 120 (12.3) |
|
| |
| Untreated/inadequately treated pain | 55 (5.6) |
|
| |
| Untreated/inadequately treated side effects | 8 (0.8) |
|
| |
| Problems with WHAT medications prescribed; available | 56 (5.7) |
|
| |
| Problems with medication administration | 19 (1.9) |
|
| |
| Access and Relationship | 100 (10.2) |
|
| |
| No/suboptimal access to particular provider or type of providers; insufficient time with provider(s) | 44 (4.5) |
|
| |
| Rude, cold, or uncaring, manner; dismissive of patient's concerns; patient preferences ignored or discounted; providers seemed not to know the patient, the patient's case, history, or needs | 62 (6.3) |
|
| |
| Information Exchange | 158 (16.1) |
|
| |
| Insufficient or inaccurate information; information not provided when needed/wanted | 105 (10.7) |
|
| |
| Patient given confusing information, or too much information | 6 (0.6) |
|
| |
| Patient report of problems, side effects ignored or discounted; patients attempts to correct provider understanding ignored | 27 (2.8) |
|
| |
| Difficulty getting questions answered; request for information ignored; phone calls not returned or not returned in a timely manner | 32 (3.3) |
|
| |
| Poor communication; not listening, not further specified | 26 (2.7) |
|
| |
| Language/Accent | 12 (1.2) |
|
| |
| Patient/family unable to communicate to providers due to patient/family language | 2 (0.2) |
|
| |
| Patient/family members had difficulty understanding providers due to providers' accent or language | 10 (1.0) |
|
| |
| Nursing Care and Responsiveness | 63 (6.4) |
|
| |
| Nurses or staff unresponsive to calls, alarms, immediate patient needs | 36 (3.7) |
|
| |
| Problems with nursing care (IVs, dressings, toileting, feeding) | 37 (3.8) |
|
| |
| Team Communication | 65 (6.6) |
|
| |
| Providers not communicating with each other; unaware of what others had done; conflicting opinions; kept changing things; not on the same page | 65 (6.6) |
|
| |
| Discharge | 56 (5.7) |
|
| |
| Delay in discharge | 11 (1.1) |
|
| |
| Premature discharge | 16 (1.6) |
|
| |
| Problems with discharge arrangements | 18 (1.8) |
|
| |
| Insufficient or inaccurate discharge information, including delayed notification of family | 18 (1.8) |
|
| |
| Other | 55 (5.6) |
|
| |
| Medical error or near miss suspected | 5 (0.5) |
|
| |
| Problems with appropriate diet, or fluids related to orders | 16 (1.6) |
|
| |
| Other concerns or problems not categorized above | 34 (3.5) |
|
| |
| Associated Harm | 140 (14.3) |
|
| |
| Physical harm or harm to health | 66 (6.7) |
|
| |
| Needed additional care | 15 (1.5) |
|
| |
| Damaged relationship with doctors or nurses | 28 (2.9) |
|
| |
| Disruption to patient's or family member's life | 15 (1.5) |
|
| |
| Emotional harm or distress | 60 (6.1) |
|
| |
| Financial costs to patient | 6 (0.6) |
Because multiple codes could be applied to one interview, the numbers of problems in sub-categories do not always sum to the total for a given category.