Patients’ Assessment of Chronic Illness Care

Abstract

Background. The increasing prevalence of patients suffering from chronic conditions, together with the fragmented delivery of care, urge the optimisation of the quality of chronic care. The objective of the present study was to explore patients’ perception on chronic illness care in Flanders. Methods. An observational, cross-sectional, study design was applied by using an online questionnaire, partly based on the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC) survey. In addition, questions on socio-demographic characteristics, recent contacts with general practitioner and/or specialist(s), and quality of life were included. Participants were recruited from the Flemish Patients’ Platform network between March and July 2016. Results. 303 patients with a chronic illness completed the survey. Mean age within the sample was 56.71 years (SD +/- 11.62) and the majority of respondents were female (65.3%). More than half of the respondents hold a college or university degree (53.5%). Mean number of chronic conditions was 2.31 (SD +/- 1.78). The five most prevalent chronic conditions in the sample were chronic low back pain (31%), multiple sclerosis (29.4%), joint arthrosis (22.8%), chronic neck pain (22.1%), and arterial hypertension (14.5%). The mean PACIC summary score was 2.97 (SD +/- 0.93). Mean scores for the subscales ranged from 2.61 (Follow-up) to 3.30 (Patient Activation). Patients’ characteristics (age, gender, educational level, and number of chronic conditions), care receipt (number of contacts with a general practitioner and/or specialist), and quality of life were not significantly associated (P > 0.05) with differences in PACIC scores. Conclusion. Improving quality of chronic care requires a comprehensive understanding of patients’ perceptions. The current study identified several areas (such as helping the patient to set specific goals and planning follow-up visits) where quality improvement efforts might be beneficial, suggesting that recent and direct patient-provider interactions may play an important role in enhancing care continuity and coordination.