A report released today by the California Institute for Health Systems Performance (CIHSP) and the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) found that Californians give hospitals high marks for attention to physical comfort, including pain control, but believe they could do more to ease patients’ transition to home. The report also found that Californians hospitalized for maternity care or surgical procedures reported more positive experiences than those admitted for medical reasons.

The report presents results from the Patients’ Evaluation of Performance in California (PEP-C) project, a voluntary initiative designed to educate health care consumers and improve hospital quality. The project featured the largest publicly reported hospital patient survey ever conducted, which included responses from 21,151 individuals who spent at least one night in a participating California hospital. Every general acute care hospital in California was invited to join the PEP-C project and 113 volunteered.

The report includes far more detailed information than traditional patient satisfaction surveys. The PEP-C questionnaire explored critical aspects of hospital care in seven key categories, or "dimensions of care," and asked questions such as:

• Were patients treated with respect, dignity, and as a partner in the health care process?
• How well did hospital staff address patient fears and anxieties?
• How organized and efficient were doctors and nurses?
• Did hospital staff explain treatment options and test results clearly and completely?
• Did doctors and nurses explain what to expect after patients left the hospital?

  "PEP-C benefits both hospitals and their patients," said Ann Monroe, director of the California HealthCare Foundation’s Quality Initiative. "It’s a tool consumers can use to become more active participants in the health care process and help choose the hospital that’s best for them."

  Hospital performance scores published in the report are based on patient responses and do not measure other important aspects of hospital care, such as clinical outcomes. For that reason, project organizers encourage consumers to use PEP-C information as one of several resources they use to choose a hospital.

  "PEP-C helps hospitals focus their quality improvement efforts. By giving hospitals information they need, the PEP-C project has already, and will continue to, spur patient care improvement programs throughout California," added Marsha Nelson, vice president of the California Institute for Health Systems Performance.

  Regional consumer guides (North, Central, and Southern California), a detailed technical report, and an executive summary of the PEP-C project are all available online free of charge.

  About the PEP-C Project
  

  The Patients’ Evaluation of Performance in California project is the result of a partnership between the California Institute for Health Systems Performance, the California HealthCare Foundation, and participating hospitals. The 113 hospitals that volunteered to participate in the PEP-C project represent 30 percent of eligible hospitals and 42 percent of all licensed beds in California. Working with these hospitals, PEP-C surveyed 21,151 patients using a questionnaire developed by the Picker Institute. Questions were categorized into seven groups, or “dimensions of care,” identified by the Picker Institute:
• Respect for Patient Preferences
• Coordination of Care
• Information and Education
• Physical Comfort
• Emotional Support
• Involvement of Family and Friends
• Transition to Home

  The California Institute for Health Systems Performance and the California HealthCare Foundation are committed to conducting future PEP-C surveys. The PEP-C technical report includes additional details about survey results and methodology.

  
  About the California Institute for Health Systems Performance
  

  The California Institute for Health Systems Performance is a nonprofit organization working with hospitals and other providers to develop better ways to measure health care quality.