Evaluating the PRASE patient safety intervention - a multi-centre, cluster trial with a qualitative process...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality and Safety
• Patient Experience Research
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Hospital care can lead to patient harm; current safety strategies often exclude patient perspectives.
• High-profile reviews highlight the need for systems to capture and act on patient feedback.
• The Patient Reporting and Action for a Safe Environment (PRASE) intervention was developed to gather patient insights on ward safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of the PRASE intervention in improving patient safety over 12 months.
• To evaluate the impact of patient feedback on ward-level safety and patient experience.

Main Methods:

• A multi-centre, cluster, wait-list randomized controlled trial across 32 hospital wards.
• The PRASE intervention includes patient questionnaires and a proforma for reporting safety incidents and positive experiences.
• Data are fed back to wards for action planning meetings (APMs) to implement improvements, supported by a qualitative process evaluation.

Main Results:

• The study is one of the largest trials on patient safety, involving 32 wards.
• Results will elucidate how patient feedback can be leveraged for ward-level safety enhancements.
• The trial will provide insights into the effectiveness of the PRASE intervention.

Conclusions:

• Incorporating the 'patient voice' is crucial for patient safety improvements.
• Patient feedback, when systematically captured and acted upon, can significantly enhance hospital care quality.
• This research will advance understanding of patient-centered approaches to healthcare safety.