Patient perspectives in neurosurgery: the role of patient-reported experience measures (PREM) in enhancing care quality.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) on satisfaction and care quality and identify factors influencing patient evaluations. A modified patient survey was conducted at the Department of Neurosurgery at the University Hospital Jena. Additionally, a comprehensive literature review was performed to contextualize the findings and assessed the significance and preferred applications of PREMs in current research.

Methods: This monocentric study employed a modified questionnaire developed in accordance with internal quality standards. The questionnaire was distributed anonymously to neurosurgical inpatients treated at the University Hospital Jena between May 1, 2023 and July 31, 2023. Data collection took place through postal surveys and during discharge management.

Results: Of the 159 patients included, 69 completed the questionnaire, with 46 responding by post and 23 in person. The response rate was 66.7% for postal surveys and 33.3% for on-site collection (p < 0.001). Overall satisfaction was high, with 96.8% of respondents indicating that they would recommend the hospital. More than half of patients rated care quality and physician communication as "very good". Patients who provided positive evaluations of physician communication were significantly more likely to rate overall care quality as "good" to "very good" (p = 0.002). Additionally, surgical treatment and hospital recommendation were identified as significant predictors of care quality.

Conclusion: Physician communication strongly correlates with patient satisfaction, symptom improvement, and treatment adherence. Expanding the use of PREMs and providing clinician training in relationship-centered communication can enhance patient-centered care, leading to measurable improvements in healthcare outcomes.