Our Patient Experience Survey tells us how patients perceive the delivery of healthcare services

We really want to know how medical scheme members experience the medical care they receive in South African hospitals.

Five years ago our administrator, Discovery Health developed the Discovery Patient Experience Survey and started asking patients how they experienced patient care at hospitals. We are confident that the results of our survey will improve the quality of patient care from hospitals and other healthcare professionals.

Results of the Discovery Patient Experience Survey

Over the past five years the Discovery Patient Experience Survey has given over 200 000 members of medical schemes administered by Discovery Health including TFG Medical Aid Scheme, the opportunity to describe their experience of the care they received while in hospital.

So far, the Patient Experience Survey has:

• Given a voice to the members of schemes administered by Discovery Health including TFG Medical Aid Scheme.
• Given us an important view into patients’ experience – as an important component of the quality of care received and the nature of concerns.

In the survey we ask patients in clear and plain language about several experiences that are common to almost all patients in hospital. We use the results to identify opportunities where improvements can be made. Where we see performance issues, we try to solve the specific problems together with healthcare professionals, professional groups, hospitals, patients and families – for the benefit of all.

How we share the results

We share the survey results with members of schemes through the Patient Survey Score. This summarises how patients perceive the delivery of healthcare services and it provides more detailed information from each question in the survey.

We share the results with hospitals and hospital groups. This feedback includes text comments that patients provided – if the patients gave permission for us to send it to the hospitals.

Many hospitals are already using their survey results, alongside their own surveys and programmes, to guide their own improvement initiatives.

If you use the results in your choice of a hospital

We realise you may decide to use these results to inform your choice of a hospital in future. It is important to realise that patient experience is just one component of quality of care, and there are other factors to consider as well. It is important to talk to your doctor about the patient experience scores. A lower score does not mean that the hospital is bad. It shows room for healthcare delivery improvement which the hospital may already be undertaking. Talk to your doctor about plans the hospital might have to improve these scores in the near future.

To access the Patient Survey Score please follow these steps:

On a desktop computer, go to the TFG Medical Aid Scheme website, at www.tfgmedicalaidscheme.co.za:

• Log in with your registered login details.
• Select the Hospital and doctor visits tab.
• Select Patient Survey Score.