Publication - Statistics
Inpatient Experience Survey 2018: technical report
This report provides information on the technical aspects of the 2018 Inpatient Experience Survey, including development, implementation, analysis and reporting.
3. Survey Design
Survey Development
The survey questionnaire was fundamentally redeveloped ahead of the 2014 survey, details of which are available in the 2014 survey's technical report www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/03/9281/0.
Minimal changes were made to the 2016 survey to ensure comparability and allow reporting of trends over time.
The questionnaire was reviewed again ahead of the 2018 survey to ensure continued relevance of survey questions and to reduce the overall length of the questionnaire.
The survey materials were also reviewed in 2018 to improve engagement with respondents and to ensure compliance with General Data Protection Regulations. This included improving the information provided to survey recipients in the covering letter and also introducing a privacy notice for the survey which is available at www.gov.scot/InpatientPrivacyNotice.
Survey Materials
The survey was administered by post.
The initial survey mail out included a questionnaire, an invitation letter, an information leaflet in a range of languages and a freepost envelope. Respondents also had the option to complete and return the questionnaire online or via a telephone helpline in a wide range of languages. The helpline was also available to handle questions or complaints about the survey.
A first reminder letter was sent out a few weeks after the initial mail out, followed by a final reminder which included a full survey pack.
Copies of all of the survey materials can be found at www.gov.scot/Inpatientsurvey.
Changes to 2018 Questionnaire
Table 1: New questions for the 2018 survey
| Question Number | Topic | Question | Reason for inclusion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Admission to Hospital | Were you kept informed about how long you would wait to be admitted to hospital after you were referred? | Replaces previous question about length of wait. |
| 18 | Staff | Range of questions about staff | Asks about all staff, rather than specifically doctors and nurses. N/A response option removed. |
| 18a | Staff | Staff spent enough time with me | Covering person-centred behaviours from staff |
| 18d | Staff | Staff gave me the opportunity to involve the people that matter to me | Covering person-centred behaviours from staff |
| 18f | Staff | Staff helped me to feel in control of my treatment/care | Covering person-centred behaviours from staff |
| 19 | Staff | Roughly, how many times did hospital staff ask you for your personal details, including your medical history? | To fill evidence gap around staff requesting personal information / medical history. |
| 29 | Leaving hospital | Were you and / or your carer involved in planning for your discharge from hospital? | To incorporate carers in planning for discharge |
| 30 | Leaving hospital | Did the hospital staff give you, your carer or someone else close to you all the information needed to help care for you at home? | To fill evidence gap on having enough information for self-care after leaving hospital |
| 31 | Leaving hospital | Were the arrangements for any follow up appointments explained to you in a way that you understood? | To fill evidence gap on people's experience of follow up appointments |
| 35 | Leaving hospital | Where did you wait when you were delayed? | To fill evidence gap about where people have waited when delayed |
| 38 | Care and Support Services | Were you confident that any care or support services you needed had been arranged for you before you left hospital? | To understand people's confidence in support arrangements |
| 39 | Care and Support Services | What care or support services did you need? | To collect data on which services people are referring to |
| 40 | Care and Support Services | Were you given enough information about your care and support arrangements before leaving hospital? | To assess how informed people felt in this area |
| 41 | Care and Support Services | Did you have a choice in the care or support services arranged for you? | To cover experience of person-centred behaviour (choice) in this area |
| 43 | Overall Experience | Did you speak to staff about the standard of your care and treatment or the services provided at any time? | To collect more information about opportunities for feedback and complaints |
| 44 | Overall Experience | If you were unhappy or dissatisfied with care, treatment or services, were you able to find out how to provide feedback or complain? | To collect more information about opportunities for feedback and complaints |
Table 2: Questions that were changed in the 2018 survey
| 2018 Q. No. | 2016 Q. No. | Topic | Question | Reason for change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 14 | The Hospital and Ward | How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? | Question wording shortened to simplify. 'N/A' response option removed and instruction added to question. |
| 10g | Q14g | The Hospital and Ward | I received care and assistance when I needed it | Wording change from Q14g |
| 11 | 19 | The Hospital and Ward | Did you feel you were able to spend enough time with the people that matter to you? | Minor changes to the question wording to simplify and a 'N/A' response option added. |
| 12 | 32 | The Hospital and Ward | If you moved wards when you were in hospital, what time of day did you move? | Wording of response options simplified and a new response option added to combine 2016 Q31 and Q32. |
| 14 | 21 | Care and Treatment | How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? | Question wording shortened to simplify. 'N/A' response option removed and instruction added to question. |
| 23 | 35 | Operations and Procedures | During your most recent hospital stay, did you have an operation or procedure? | 'Don't know' response option added. |
| 26 | 38 | Operations and Procedures | Beforehand, were you told how you could expect to feel after you had the operation or procedure? | Minor change to response option 4 to improve flow. |
| 32 | 50 | Leaving Hospital | On the day you left hospital, were you delayed for any reason? | 'Don't know' response option added. |
| 33 | 52 | Leaving Hospital | Roughly, how long were you delayed for? | Wording of question and response options 2 and 3 simplified. |
| 34 | 51 | Leaving Hospital | Why were you delayed? | Wording of response options simplified. New response options added following request from policy team. Question made 'tick all that apply' and reworded to remove reference to "main" reason. |
| 36 | 56 | Leaving Hospital | If your condition meant you were eligible for hospital transport to take you home, were you happy with how this was arranged? | Wording of response option 1 and order of options changed to improve flow. 'Don't know' response option added. |
| 45 | 66 | Overall Experience | Overall, how would you rate your experience? | Minor changes to the question wording to improve flow. |
| 49 | 69 | About you | What best describes your gender? | Question changed to match wording in the 2017/18 Health and Care Experience Survey |
| 50 | 70 | About you | In general how would you rate your health? | Question changed to match wording in the 2017/18 Health and Care Experience Survey |
| 51 | 71 | About you | Do you have any of the following? | Question changed to match wording in the 2017/18 Health and Care Experience Survey |
Table 3: Questions that were removed for the 2018 survey
| 2016 Q. No. | Topic | Question | Reason for removal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Admission to Hospital | How did you feel about the length of time you waited to be seen in A&E? | Q4 in 2018 survey provides more useful information |
| 7 | Admission to Hospital | Were you given enough privacy in A&E? | Data not prioritised against other questions |
| 10 | Admission to Hospital | How did you feel about the length of time you waited to be admitted after you were referred? | Q2 in 2018 survey provides more useful information |
| 11 | Admission to Hospital | Did the information you were given in advance help you to understand what would happen? | Data not prioritised against other questions |
| 12 | Admission to Hospital | How did you feel about the time you had to wait to get a bed on the ward? | Data can't be used in practice |
| 14g | The Hospital and Ward | When I called I received assistance within a reasonable time | Replaced with Q10g in 2018 |
| 14i | The Hospital and Ward | The equipment used for my treatments was clean | Patient not necessarily qualified to know this |
| 15 | The Hospital and Ward | Did you know which nurse was in charge of the ward? | Does not directly relate to patient experience |
| 16 | The Hospital and Ward | Were hand-wash gels available for patients and visitors? | Does not directly relate to patient experience |
| 17 | The Hospital and Ward | Did you have a single room at any time? | Does not directly relate to patient experience |
| 18 | The Hospital and Ward | Were you happy with the visiting hours? | Covered by 2018 Q11 |
| 21a | Care and Treatment | I was able to get pain relief when needed | Data not prioritised against other questions |
| 21c | Care and Treatment | I had enough privacy when discussing condition / treatment | Covered by 2018 Q14a |
| 21g | Care and Treatment | I was kept as physically comfortable as I could expect to be | Data not prioritised against other questions |
| 24 | Care and Treatment | Did you feel that staff took adequate care when carrying out procedures? | Patient not necessarily qualified to know this |
| 25 | Care and Treatment | While you were in hospital did your condition get worse at any time? | Patient not necessarily qualified to know this |
| 26 | Care and Treatment | If you had a drip or needle in a vein, did the following occur? | Patient not necessarily qualified to know this |
| 27 | Care and Treatment | Problems experienced during or after stay | Patient not necessarily qualified to know this |
| 28 | Care and Treatment | Negative events that occurred during stay | Patient not necessarily qualified to know this |
| 29 | Care and Treatment | Where negative events were discussed with staff | Because Q28 removed |
| 30 | Care and Treatment | Satisfaction with how negative events were dealt with | Because Q28 removed |
| 31 | Care and Treatment | Did you move wards | Covered by 2018 Q12 |
| 33 | Care and Treatment | Was moving you between wards managed well | Data not prioritised against other questions |
| 41 | Staff | Agreement with statements about doctors | Covered by 2018 Q18 |
| 42 | Staff | Agreement with statements about nurses | Covered by 2018 Q18 |
| 43 | Staff | Did you know which nurse was in charge of your care? | Data can't be used in practice |
| 44 | Staff | In your opinion, were there enough nurses on duty to care for you? | Data can't be used in practice |
| 46 | Staff | Did you feel that staff took account of the things that matter to you? | Replaced with more detailed questions related to the "Must do with me's" in Q18 |
| 47 | Staff | Did you feel that you got enough emotional support from staff? | Data not prioritised against other questions |
| 53 | Leaving Hospital | How did you feel about the overall length of time you were in hospital? | Data can't be used in practice |
| 54 | Leaving Hospital | Were you confident you could look after yourself when you left hospital? | Covered by 2018 Q30 / Q31 |
| 55 | Leaving Hospital | Were you confident that any help you needed had been arranged for you? | Covered by 2018 Q30 / Q31 |
| 57 | Leaving Hospital | Agreement with statements about leaving hospital | Data not prioritised against other questions. a) covered by 2018 Q29 |
| 58 | Leaving Hospital | Were you given any medicines? | Data not prioritised against other questions |
| 59 | Leaving Hospital | Agreement statements about medicines | Data not prioritised against other questions |
| 61 | After Leaving Hospital | Did you need care / support services after your hospital stay? | Covered by 2018 Q38 |
| 62 | After Leaving Hospital | Did you have to stay in hospital longer than expected? | Data can't be used in practice |
| 63 | After Leaving Hospital | Did you feel that you got the care and support services that were right for you? | Changed to Q41 |
| 65 | Overall Experience | Did you see any information explaining how to provide feedback or complain? | Covered by 2018 Q43 & Q44 |
| 68 | About you | What is your age? | Age groups will be derived from CHI number on SMR01 |
| 72 | About you | Are your day-to-day activities limited? | Not currently required |
| 73 | About you | What is your religion? | Not currently required |
| 74 | About you | Respondents sexuality | Not currently required |
| 75 | About you | What is your ethnic group? | Not currently required |
| 76 | About you | Do you need an interpreter or other help to communicate? | Not currently required |
| 77 | About you | Permission to link data | No longer appropriate under GDPR |
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