Yellowknife — January 26, 2023
The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) today released the 2022 NWT Patient Experience Report, which includes feedback from inpatient and outpatient questionnaires completed between March 7, 2022 and May 16, 2022.
Highlighted findings include:
- 59% rated overall quality of service as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’, 21% said it was “Fair”, and 20% said it was “Poor”, or “Very poor”.
- 74% reported feeling that the facility they visited was a safe space in the community.
- 69% reported their treatment or procedure was clearly explained.
- 59% reported that they felt their individual needs, preferences, and cultural values or traditions were taken into consideration or accommodated by staff.
- 78% reported they would feel comfortable returning to the health care provider they saw if their condition got worse, if they needed more information, or for a follow-up.
Results from the questionnaire help identify where the NWT Health and Social Services system is doing well and where opportunities for continuous quality improvement exist.
The Patient Experience Questionnaire is part of the Health and Social Services System’s monitoring and reporting system. It is one tool used to measure patient experience, a key aspect of service quality. Interpretation of the data should be carefully considered as the results provide only a snapshot of the patient experience within the study timeframe and may not be reflective of the overall population experience.
Quote(s)
“The GNWT is committed to consistently monitor and measure health care service delivery with the goal of accessible and quality care. The Patient Experience Questionnaire is one mechanism that helps us identify best practices as a system and where opportunities for continuous quality improvement exist.”
-Julie Green, Minister of Health and Social Services
Quick Facts
- The Patient Experience Questionnaire is part of the Health and Social Services’ monitoring and reporting system and is administered every two to three years.
- 1,308 respondents (194 inpatients and 1,114 outpatients) participated in the 2022 Patient Experience Questionnaire.
- Results showed a decline in respondents’ ratings of overall quality of service and access to services as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ since 2019.
- Factors that may have contributed to the decline include the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic that limited in-person services, as well as caused reductions and cancelations of procedures or services such as surgeries. Additionally, required visitor restrictions, and significant demands on staff leading to burnout, retention issues, and national shortages resulted in ongoing service impacts within the system. (See: Recruitment and Retention Survey)
- Findings from the Questionnaire will be used to improve service delivery and program planning to best meet the needs of individuals and families.
- System initiatives intended to improve quality of services and patient experience include:
- Cultural safety training for all staff;
- Continued roll-out of the Colorectal Cancer Screening program in all regions to improve cancer screening and early detection.
Primary Care Reform
System employee engagement and retention initiatives
Improvements in patient feedback, system navigation, and patient/client supports.
- The Patient Experience Questionnaire is one of many tools used to inform improvements to service delivery and program planning. Another such tool is system-wide accreditation through Accreditation Canada, which is an intensive and ongoing process of assessing the Health and Social Services System against national standards of practice, policies and programs. In addition, Quality Risk Managers in all regions receive feedback from residents and ensure they are investigated and resolved as efficiently as possible.
- In response to feedback from administering the 2019 Questionnaire, accreditation requirements, and new standards regarding public input, the following adjustments were made to the 2022 Patient Experience Questionnaire:
- Socio-demographic data was collected from respondents;
- The target population was better focused and online recruitment was improved
- Improved administration and recruitment strategies to better collect responses from diverse subpopulations;
- Geographical data was included; and
- Continued point-in-time administration for a period of two months.
- Residents can continue to provide feedback on their experience accessing the NWT Health and Social Services system by emailing nthssafeedback@gov.nt.ca.
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For media requests, please contact:
Andrew Wind
A/Manager, Communications
Policy, Legislation and Communication
Department of Health and Social Services
Government of the Northwest Territories
867-767-9052 ext. 49037