Improving the clinic journey of Respiratory Outpatient’s utilising an audit study

Often as healthcare providers, we fail to step back and look at how we communicate with patients. Multiple governmental and organisational reports worldwide cite the strong correlation between poor communication and poor healthcare experiences. The foundations of healthcare are built on communication, yet its vital role in healthcare is often overlooked in terms of its significance to patient-centred care. The overall aim of this project was to improve the clinical journey of Respiratory outpatient’s. This was achieved by implementing an easy to read Respiratory appointment letter which contains both, the patient’s Pulmonary Function Test appointment, and their outpatient appointment on one single page. A literature review was conducted which enabled the writer to apply international best practice and guidelines on patient written communication templates. The HSE change model was utilised which enabled the writer to structure the change process in a systematic and methodical manner. Evaluation of the change entailed quantitative data collection and analysis to ascertain whether the objectives initially set out were achieved. Evaluation was utilised to assess the impact of implementing such an intervention which demonstrated an improvement in the patient’s clinical journey post implementation.