Vlaamse Patiënten Peiling

Flemish Patient Survey

Background: Giving patients a voice in their healthcare delivery process, patient participation. That's what the Flemish Patient Survey is all about. To make this possible, the Vlaams Patiëntenplatform vzw initiated a process about 10 years ago. Together with patients and care providers, a process was developed  that results in validated satisfaction questionnaires, the Flemish Patient Surveys.

Now 10 years later, numerous Flemish Patient Surveys have been developed for different subsectors in healthcare. For hospitals, there are the versions VPPeiling Classical Admissions, VPPeiling Day Hospital and the VPPeiling Pediatrics. These are used in all Flemish hospitals in Belgium. Different versions also exist for numerous facilities in the Mental Health sector.

Aim: To provide the sector with a supported and validated satisfaction questionnaire that gives patients a  voice in their care delivery process and allows caregivers to engage with its results.

Method: In order to arrive at a validated satisfaction questionnaire, there are several stages to be completed in the development process. First, a literature review of existing international scientific questionnaires is conducted. In addition, focus groups are organized to find out what patients and caregivers consider important to be included in the questionnaire. In the next phase, all these elements are put together to come up with a long list of possible questions. In the next phase, a first objective selection is made by two employees of the Vlaams Patiëntenplatform vzw using a double-blind method in order to arrive at a shortlist of questions. This shortlist will then be presented to both care providers and patients through a Delphi study. Simultaneously with the Delphi study, a measurement protocol is drawn up with a group of experts. The result of the Delphi study is transformed into a pilot version of the satisfaction questionnaire. This pilot version is then scientifically validated. In a final stage, a pilot study is conducted using the predetermined measurement protocol. If this pilot study is assessed as positive, the final result will be a Flemish Patient Survey that can be implemented in the broader health care sector.

Result: Going through the different phases in co-creation with both patients and caregivers leads to a strongly supported and validated measurement instrument that can be implemented by different healthcare institutions in the healthcare sector. This allows patients to have a voice in how they experienced their care.

Conclusion: The Flemish Patient Surveys contribute to an increase in quality in the Belgian health care system and also offer the opportunity to participate as a patient. How can we co-design care journeys that respond to people’s needs?