Patient satisfaction in three clinics managing long-term conditions.

People with long-term conditions are frequent visitors to outpatient clinics. In order that they get the best out of their visits, the health professionals taking care of them need to understand their experiences and work towards service improvements. A survey of 3 clinics (HIV, rheumatology, diabetes) was undertaken using a set of three simple, open questions. A total of 147 people responded that, above all, care, attention, friendliness and efficiency were their most valued experiences. Shorter waiting times and cheaper car parking came up most frequently as sources of dissatisfaction. The study concludes that there were no distinct differences in the experiences of the patients in each clinic. All care needs were relatively simple and, on the whole, met.

Developing critical appraisal skills amongst staff in a hospital trust.

This project was designed to encourage health professionals to use available evidence in their practice by facilitating the development of critical appraisal skills and by making them aware of the practical benefits of using evidence in practice. A partn ership was developed to roll out a workshop programme to enable all members of the health care team within a variety of clinical areas locate, appraise and utilise appropriate evidence in their speciality and to provide the Hospital's professional develo pment team with the necessary experience to conduct subsequent programmes. Six different modules were provided including an introductory session and five other modules each covering a portion of the critical appraisal process. 45 staff including 19 nurse s participated and all were surveyed in the post workshop evaluations. Comments were very positive and the sessions appeared to have enthused the participants. There were some limitations to the project, including fluctuating attendance, but the main out come of this project is that the team realised that in order to be more effective in their approach it would be most appropriate to single out clinical specialities and design workshops entirely applicable to their interests.