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Investigating complaints to improve practice and develop policy

Julianne Parry (Mount Isa Hospital, Mount Isa, Australia)
Udul Hewage (Mount Isa Hospital, Mount Isa, Australia)

International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance

ISSN: 0952-6862

Article publication date: 2 October 2009

1178

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to make use of patient complaints as a valuable source of information to enable improvements to the quality of health service delivery.

Design/methodology/approach

Thematic analysis was used to analyse records of de‐identified patient complaints made about medical or nursing staff or medical or nursing services between January 2006 and May 2008 in the Mount Isa Health Service District.

Findings

Three main themes were identified. These themes were labelled: “communication”, “wait times” and “clinical”. The latter related to specific concerns about the care provided to the patient or their relative. There were 101 complaints analysed. The majority (60 per cent) of complaints related to communication. Wait times for appointments (13 per cent), and clinical (28 per cent) were included in the remainder.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this research are not generalisable beyond the Health Service District within which the data were collected. However, the principle of systematically using complaints information to improve practice and develop policy can be applied within all health services.

Practical implications

Recommendations to develop policies and improve practice that will address the matters identified in the complaints are made. Changes to complaints data records to assist future research are suggested. The need to facilitate indigenous patients' contribution to suggestions for service delivery improvement is highlighted.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to research that makes use of patient complaints to produce higher standards of patient service delivery.

Keywords

Citation

Parry, J. and Hewage, U. (2009), "Investigating complaints to improve practice and develop policy", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 22 No. 7, pp. 663-669. https://doi.org/10.1108/09526860910995001

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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