Partners in Care: Training Healthcare Professionals in Using Patient Feedback

Area of Science:

• Healthcare professional development
• Patient engagement in medical education
• Evidence-based healthcare practices

Background:

• Patient feedback is valuable but underutilized in healthcare professionals' lifelong learning.
• Healthcare professionals significantly impact patient care post-training, making feedback integration vital.
• An interprofessional, evidence-informed training activity was developed to address this gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an interprofessional training program focused on patient feedback for healthcare professionals.
• To explore perspectives on patient feedback and lifelong learning among healthcare professionals and patients.
• To enhance the integration of patient feedback into healthcare professionals' continuous development.

Main Methods:

• Design-based research approach involving interviews with 12 healthcare professionals and 10 patients.
• Development of a two-session training program informed by interview insights.
• Pilot testing in an academic hospital, evaluated via observations and surveys, including peer-to-peer coaching facilitated by a trained patient.

Main Results:

• The training created a safe environment for open dialogue between patients and professionals.
• Sharing personal experiences highlighted the humanity of healthcare professionals and the value of patient feedback.
• Participants recognized the importance of patient feedback for their ongoing professional growth.

Conclusions:

• Co-designing training with patients and professionals enhances feedback utilization.
• Training can facilitate the incorporation of patient feedback into professional learning.
• Sustainable integration of patient feedback requires embedding feedback-seeking behaviors into daily practice.