Staff in the orthotics department have mounted a campaign to tell patients more about what they do, and encourage feedback to make the service even better.
Orthotist John Smith, who has introduced a patient blog, says a lot of people haven’t heard of orthotics and don’t know that orthoses include things like shoes, insoles, sprints and knee braces which improve activity and independence and help to reduce pain. And even those who are aware of what orthotics entails, can find the thought of using such medical devices quite daunting.
John Explained “Our patient opinion blog gives people the opportunity to tell us about their experience so that we are more equipped to help others in the future. It also allows them to say what we are doing well and what we could potentially do better. I believe feedback from the people who use our service is invaluable and must be captured and used to further improve the service.”
Listening to what patients say has already resulted in changes:
- A new workshop has been provided within the hospital so that patients can bring their orthosis to the hospital to be repaired, rather than sending them away for long periods of time.
- A larger stockroom means more people can take their orthoses away on the same day as their appointment, rather than having to return a few weeks later to have them fitted.
John believes that, despite information systems which may be used to flag up all kinds of data, nothing replaces the most valuable source of information – opinion from patients themselves.
