Assessing the Generalizability of Client Experience Measurement Tools in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A...

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Patient Experience Measurement
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Patient experience is crucial for healthcare quality but is underrepresented in system design and assessment.
• Existing measures of client experience are fragmented across various health service areas.
• A standardized approach is needed to measure and benchmark patient experiences effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and analyze existing measures of client experience in healthcare.
• To assess the feasibility of developing a generalizable measure for client experience of care.
• To map identified measures against established domains of patient experience.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases.
• Peer-reviewed articles on the development, validation, or adaptation of client experience measures were included.
• Measure domains were thematically analyzed and compared to a client experience framework.

Main Results:

• 73 articles detailing 61 distinct measures of healthcare quality and responsiveness were identified.
• Many measures showed overlap with existing conceptual frameworks for client experience.
• Few measures were consistently applied across different health service areas.

Conclusions:

• Existing measures largely align with key patient experience domains like effective communication, respect, and emotional support.
• The findings suggest that developing a generalizable client experience measure is technically achievable.
• A standardized measure could facilitate better benchmarking and improvement of patient-centered care.