Patient Reported Experience Measures (PREMS) serve as instruments in healthcare for gathering insights into patient’s perspectives regarding their care experiences. These tools evaluate various facets of healthcare provision such as effective communication with healthcare professionals, the facility’s environment, staff responsiveness, and overall contentment with the services rendered. Contrary to clinical outcome measures that gauge the success of treatment options, PREMs shines light on the patient’s viewpoint, which is crucial for fostering patient-centered care.

Generally, PREM data are collected through surveys or questionnaires filled out during or after a patient’s appointment. These queries might cover topics like the comprehensiveness of the information provided, the degree of respect and kindness demonstrated by staff, the duration of wait times, and the facility’s navigability. The feedback obtained assists healthcare providers in pinpointing success in care and identifying areas in need of enhancement.

Implementing PREMs brings numerous advantages. Firstly, it values patients’ options thereby amplifying their role in their healthcare journey, which can fortify trust and engagement between patients and providers. Secondly, it pinpoints precise avenues for quality enhancement, leading to improved patient outcomes and greater overall satisfaction. For instance, improving communication can clarify patients’ understanding of their health conditions, which may increase compliance with treatment protocols.

At Aster DM, we assess a variety of measures monthly through PREMs, including patients’ interactions with their doctor, the explanations regarding treatments provided by doctors, the empathy and attention displayed by doctors and nurses, the frequency of updates on progress, management of wait times, treatment effectiveness, pain control etc. Based on patient feedback, we continually strive to address and improve any areas of concern.

Medical Affairs & Quality Department in our hospitals has utilized Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) to capture the viewpoints of patients regarding their health status after medical interventions.

As a clinical instrument, PROMs gather essential insights directly from patients, highlighting their symptoms, functional capabilities, and life quality. The value of PROMs lies in leveraging patient feedback to improve healthcare services.

Internationally recognized PROMs instruments were employed to evaluate patient satisfaction and care quality across procedures such as knee and hip replacements, childbirth, and treatments for acute coronary syndrome.

In particular, the Birth Satisfaction Scale (BSS-R) was implemented at Aster DM Hospital Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, for six months. As much as 73.2% of patients expressed satisfaction with care standards, particularly in terms of cleanliness, hygiene, and the support provided by nurses and doctors. Multiple initiatives have been introduced in response to patient comments to improve the birthing experience. These initiatives include dedicated counseling and communication sessions, as well as antenatal classes designed to prepare patients for labor starting at 35 weeks of gestation. The inclusion of patients and their partners in the decision-making process has empowered them to manage their childbirth experiences more effectively.

We have examined the comments received from patients in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka who had Total Knee Replacements (TKRs). We used evaluation tools such as KOOS12, the Oxford Knee Score, and the Knee Society Score. The results indicated substantial improvements in pain relief, functional mobility, and overall knee-related quality of life post-surgery, with satisfaction rates reaching 60-80% across participating hospitals.