Enhancing the Patient Experience in Cardiac Procedures: A Mixed-Methods Quality Improvement Study

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Patient Experience Research
• Quality Improvement Science

Background:

• Patient experience is crucial in cardiac procedural settings.
• Identifying specific patient concerns is key for quality improvement.
• Existing literature highlights communication and wait times as common issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify patient experience gaps in Interventional Cardiology and Electrophysiology units.
• To generate hypotheses for future quality improvement initiatives.
• To inform evidence-based recommendations for enhancing patient care.

Main Methods:

• Pilot study involving 104 patients via follow-up phone surveys.
• Utilized an unvalidated survey instrument to gather patient feedback.
• Qualitative responses were independently coded to identify key themes (Cohen's κ = 0.80).

Main Results:

• High patient satisfaction reported for pain management and procedural comfort.
• Persistent concerns identified regarding postprocedural communication and wait times.
• Differences in satisfaction noted between electrophysiology and catheterization/structural intervention patients.

Conclusions:

• Targeted communication and scheduling improvements are recommended.
• Addressing physician-patient communication and perceived wait times is essential.
• Findings contribute to the broader understanding of patient experience in cardiac procedures.