Dear Caroline
>>> "C.J.Metcalfe" <[log in to unmask]> 12/07/99
06:33am >>>
Regarding:
>>However, the statistics that we collect on number of
treatments, number of new referrals etc compared to
manpower data seem to indicate that as manpower increases
the number of treatment sessions decreases. Staff spend
more time with their patients. >>
Do they spend more time with staff or are they spending more time
with management issues? As staff numbers increase often the time
required to coordinate and manage that staff causes a fall in
productivity, ie. more staff meetings, more section meetings etc. You
haven't indicated whether these factors were considered.
>>Does number crunching benefit to the detriment of quality?
How can quality of service be assessed?>>
Statistics are only helpful to clarify trends or patterns with large
data sets. You clearly need to use the correct stats procedure to
ensure an accurate answer for the problem or issue you are trying to
address (this appears obvious I know, but often is poorly executed).
Quality goes beyond numbers and data sets though. We are dealing with
people here, not objects! There are many different levels of quality
that need to be considered and addressed if we truly wish to ensure
overall quality of service.
>>Does anyone know of any work current or past which
addresses the sort of quality issues above?>>
I remember reading an article a number of years ago that looked at
patient satisfaction visits to an outpatient clinic setting. This
study was conducted in California. The results showed that the more
time the doctor spent with the patient the higher the satisfaction
rating, despite showing no difference in outcome for the specific
problem they had come to the clinic for. Another interesting finding
was short waiting time and ease of access to the service (the service
is near by, has a car park etc.) were ranked highest over many other
factors (such as doctors qualifications, experience etc.) in regards
to importance to the patient when considering going to a doctor.
I apologize for not having a citation for you, but perhaps this short
note will jog someone's memory out there and refer you to it.
Cheers
Erik Dombroski
Clinical Educator
School of Physiotherapy
Auckland Institute of Technology, NZ
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