Patients' opinions on quality of care before and after implementation of a short stay programme following breast cancer surgery.

M. de Kok*, T. van der Weijden, A.G. Kessels, C.D. Dirksen, H.J. Sixma, C.J. van de Velde, J.A. Roukema, C. Finaly Marais, F.W. van der Ent, M.F. von Meyenfeldt

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

PURPOSE: To assess breast cancer patients' opinions on quality of care during an implementation study on short hospital stay, and to formulate patient inspired targets for further quality improvement based on results of the QUOTE (Quality of Care Through the Patients' Eyes) breast cancer instrument. RESULTS: Quality of patient education regarding activities at home was in need of improvement in both measurements. Quality of services delivered by the surgeon improved somewhat after implementation. Although quality of waiting and process times improved after implementation, there was still room for further improvement on these aspects. CONCLUSION: A breast cancer care programme in short stay was introduced while, on average, preserving quality of care as perceived by the patient. However, aspects regarding education on drains, prosthesis, exercises after surgery, survival rates, and waiting and process times require continuing attention to enhance patients' assessment of quality of care.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)404-409
Number of pages6
JournalBreast
Volume19
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2010

Keywords

  • Patient-centered care
  • Patient preferences
  • Healthcare quality, access and evaluation
  • Breast cancer
  • Health services needs and demand
  • Quality of care
  • SATISFACTION
  • PERSPECTIVE
  • INSTRUMENT

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