Hospitals are conducting voluntary patient surveys aimed at collecting feedback on their experience concerning all aspects of their stay ( for example , personal satisfaction with admission procedures , information and communication by the hospital , accommodation , quality of the staff or of the catering , waiting times and hygiene ). In certain circumstances , these interviews are also addressed to the relatives and partners of patients . Some of these surveys are also used for benchmarking . In addition to this voluntary assessment of patient satisfaction , hospitals are asked to question patients on different services by the Federal Joint Committee as part of the mandatory quality assurance system on the basis of an interview form developed by the IQTIG .
German hospitals also have patient advocates who assist patients in representing their interests . Acting independently in the hospital they moderate between healthcare providers and patients . As this option was given by law , some Federal States have already developed recommendations for them , providing both framework and contents for their duties and rights . Additionally , hospitals have for some time also applied complaint management systems . They provide options for patients to complain anonymously about all aspects of their treatment . This feedback delivers valuable information for hospitals on how to improve services .
hungary
Mr György Velkey HOPE Governor , Hungarian Hospital Association
Could you outline the strategy / approach adopted in your country on quality and patient safety or the two / three initiatives in the hospital and healthcare sector in the past ten years ? The aim of old quality assurance systems was to regulate the healthcare processes , which would have led , in turn , to better results in the future . The new approach shifted the focus to the final result instead : patient safety . This means that all healthcare processes have to be planned and structured in the light of all potential risks that can pose a threat to the patients , starting from the purchase of healthcare materials . This challenge is addressed by the new ISO 9001:2015 standard .
The majority of Hungarian hospitals operate by ISO-certified quality assurance systems . However , with the use of EU resources , the Hungarian Government managed to set up a customised standard framework ( called BELLA ) in 2014 , which is in line with the international quality requirements ( ISQua ) and focuses on patient safety .
The Hungarian Hospital Association supports the new quality assurance methods . Hospitals are applying indicators which are suitable for monitoring patient safety and its shortcomings , partly following-up on own data and comparative analysis based on information gained from other similar institutions . The main points of the new system are continuous learning and self-assessment which is , of course , challenged by an external review once a year . The process of accreditation is being elaborated at the time of writing ( January 2018 ) and will be ratified . An online tool ( NEVES ) is maintained for reporting all unexpected ( adverse ) events .
Could you present us the two / three expectations that your organisation / country have today on improving the quality of healthcare using the experiences and competencies of patients ? In-patients participate in a pre-organised and personalised counselling session before they leave the hospital . The person who is responsible for this tailored service has to be sure that the patient has understood all the advices regarding healthy living , physical exercise , physiotherapy , diet , and use of medical devices . Patients are free to ask questions . Healthcare providers have to certify all these aspects in the final report . Hospitals operate a well organised system for the management of patients ’ complaints and comments .
Several staff members are involved in the investigation of complaints . However , it is the managing director who makes the decision . There are independent patients ’ rights commissioners in each hospital , representing patients ’ interests in problematic cases and supervising the fairness of the investigations . The leadership looks into all the complaints annually and suggests development measures when needed . Hospitals run their own web pages , which aim to provide information but also work to receive information and feedback from the patients . hungary
|
2000 |
2008 |
2015 |
Total health expenditure as % of Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ) |
6.8 % |
7.1 % |
7.2 % |
Percentage of current public expenditure on health as % of total current health expenditure |
69.6 % |
68.9 % |
66.7 % |
Hospital current health expenditure , as % of total current health expenditure |
36.3 % |
33.2 % |
36.0 % |
Out-of-pocket expenditure , % of current expenditure on health |
27.3 % |
26.3 % |
29.0 % |
All hospital beds per 100,000 inhabitants |
816.0 |
711.0 |
699.0 |
Acute care hospital beds per 100,000 inhabitants |
621.0 |
445.0 |
428.0 |
Acute care admissions / discharges per 100 inhabitants |
21.8 |
18.4 |
17.6 |
Average length of stay for acute care hospitals ( bed-days ) |
7.1 |
5.9 |
5.7 |
Practicing physicians per 100,000 inhabitants |
268.0 |
309.0 |
310.0 |
Practicing nurses per 100,000 inhabitants |
528.0 |
615.0 |
647.0 |
31 HHE 2018 | hospitalhealthcare . com