Patients ‘co-design’ improvements in radiology service
The radiology department is taking part in a ‘co-design’ course run by the Health Quality & Safety Commission, in collaboration with Dr Lynne Maher from Ko Awatea.
Ko Awatea was developed in 2011 and uses the wealth of knowledge and expertise of staff to improve or develop healthcare services for the benefit of patients.
Shona Niven, Team Leader for the radiology department at Nelson Hospital says the radiology team are looking closely at each patient’s experience in the department and will ‘co-design’ improvements to the service they offer.
“The essence of co-design is that you have patients as part of your team – they are alongside you,” she says. “So rather than assuming we know where the issues are, we are asking our patients for their feedback.”
Jane Besley, Charge Nurse Manager for radiology says the team looked at ways to capture what people are thinking and feeling about radiology services.
“It’s very much a patient-centred approach,” Jane says. “We speak with people about their journey through the radiology department – in the waiting room, before or after their procedure.”
The patient comments are put up on post-it notes on the corridor wall in the radiology department so patients and staff can see the feedback.
The keywords coming through in the findings include ‘supported, informed, happy, comfortable and safe’.
In the next stage of the project the radiology department are hoping to recruit consumer representatives who want to be involved with the radiology department on a short or long term basis to help us with decision making. Anyone interested should contact the department.