The Trust Runs the Gwynedd Hospital - Essay Example

Running head: MARKETING Marketing research proposal ___________ ________________________ ________________ Marketing research proposal Focus This paper presents a market research proposal for North West Wales NHS trust. "The trust runs the Gwynedd Hospital. The Trust is led by a Board, comprising a Chairman, Chief Executive, 7 Non-Executive Directors and 4 Executive Directors. The Board's main responsibilities are to ensure high quality patient care; monitor performance and ensure objectives are achieved; to determine the strategic direction of the Trust; maintain a high standard of corporate governance and professional conduct and to maintain the Trust's financial viability". The adequate and accurate measurement of consumer satisfaction and service quality in the hospital is of paramount importance to the Management of the trust as it directly concerns its objective of ensuring high quality patient care. In the following paragraphs a market research scheme is enumerated which would help the trust management measure the consumer satisfaction. Objectives The main objectives of the proposed market research scheme primarily concerning patient satisfaction and service quality are as follows: - to assess overall level of customer satisfaction; - to identify the service processes that matter most to patients; - to determine factors that influence patient satisfaction and - to indicate necessary service quality improvements. Consumer satisfaction is generally defined as the consumer's view of services received and the results of the treatment. It has been used by program evaluators to enhance health care providers' ability to render services that meet consumers' needs (Sheppard, 1993). However, important methodological concerns have limited the value of consumer satisfaction assessments (Elbeck, 1992). For instance, most satisfaction instruments are simple ad hoc measures. They fail to address satisfaction at any level of specificity, i.e., in terms of particular service recipient groups, treatments, or types of facilities (Lebow, 1983-i).They also do not focus of consumer/patient dissatisfaction. There structure is generally based on issues which health care staff or satisfaction assessors feel are important, rather than on issues that do actually form the major areas of consumer discontent. They generally fail to take into account the relative (weighted) importance of such concerns. In our research scheme such concerns would be controlled by collecting data on consumer dissatisfaction at least on 3-4 parameters. The term "consumer satisfaction" in health care assessment has been taken in a broad and narrow and narrow sense. Studies using broad definition use general measures like self-perception of changes that have brought about improvements, type of grievances registered, complaints, appreciation treatments, questionnaires assessing suggestions for potential improvements, and specific probes into what is found to be either useful,supefluous or even bad. Studies based on a narrow definition are "...all inquiries into both the felt adequacy of treatment and of surrounding milieu: specific aspects may include reactions to the quality of care, to its helpfulness, its cost and continuity, the availability and accessibility of the practitioner, and the reaction to supporting services" (Lebow, 1983-ii). The research scheme being suggested below would have a mix of broad and narrow concerns. Research methods Research methods normally concern the ways by which research objectives are sought to be probed and approached. Any probe is normally dependent upon the data collected from the investigated site(s). In the present scheme measurement of consumer satisfaction is the primary object and primary investigation site is the Gwynedd Hospital. After having delineated important activities which matter to customers, following data collection techniques would be utilized to collect both quantitative and qualitative data: (a) Face to face interview with patients (b) Questionnaires structured both as 'yes' & 'no' types with a generous mix of open ended responses (c) While Face to Face interviews will be focusing on narrow measurement of consumer satisfaction with structured and predecided questions about the specific treatment undergone at specific location in the hospital and the deficiencies observed in immediate treatment and immediate treatment environment; the questionnaires would be measuring the broader concept of consumer satisfaction with structured questions about the hospital and its facilities including an overall multipoint/dimensional/scaled rating. Evidently Face to Face interviews will be structured on the specific treatment type being addressed and would be different across several treatment types. Though they may have common questions. Questionnaires would, however, be same across all treatment types. Here treatment type is referred as equivalent of major areas of service quality concern. (d) Both qualitative and quantitative data would be generated after administering both Face to Face interviews and questionnaires. Quantitative data would be analyzed using trend analysis and statistical techniques of mean, median and mode. In order to better explain central tendencies standard deviation would also be used. Qualitative data would be analyzed using short summary descriptive statements and ranking in some cases. Prior to analyzing the data a criteria would be set for ascertaining the adequacy of response in any critical area. If consumer response is below this threshold then a re-administration of the concerned Face to Face interview or questionnaires may be taken up. Similarly sub threshold response criteria may be established for some critical questions within each critical area Face to Face interview and questionnaires and re-administration decision may be taken. Research plan Research plan would primarily comprise of following major decisions arranged in order of their precedence: (a) Deciding upon the performance period (b) Deciding upon critical area(s)where performance is to be measured (c) Deciding upon the sample size and method of sampling for each critical area both for Face to Face interview and questionnaires (d) Deciding upon the respondents of the Face to Face interview and questionnaires. (e) Deciding the administration sites both for Face to Face interview and questionnaires (f) Designing the administration programme both for Face to Face interview and questionnaires with schedules and completion times. (g) Designing the Face to Face interview questions and Questionnaires (h) Administering both Face to Face interview and questionnaires (i) Collecting and collating data (j) Analyzing data (k) Collecting findings (l) Preparing a Report Some comments are in order on important elements of research stated above. These are as under: Deciding upon the performance period Performance period would be mostly current period i.e. the period of administration of Face to Face interview and questionnaires. However it is always a good idea to have a look back to prevent a favorable consumer bias. It is intended to include patients who had dropped out of treatment at the hospital. It is also intended to include past patients who had successful or unsuccessful operation at the hospital. This would necessarily imply that we look back. A six months look back would be sufficient. Or the look back may be extended till the back date of starting a major facility (ies) at the hospital to avoid historical bias. Deciding upon critical area(s) where performance is to be measured The critical areas where service quality may be distinctly noted would be: (i)Cybi Ward is the Intensive Care Ward at Gwynedd. It is an eight bedded unit accommodating patients suffering from a variety of conditions, which include respiratory, Cardiac, Kidney and liver failure, Post-operative major surgery, Multiple Trauma including: Head Injuries Road Traffic Accidents Mountain and Sea Accidents. Cybi Ward provides treatment and care for people who are seriously ill or injured; it also provides close monitoring for patients whose conditions are unstable and unpredictable. This monitoring and support is only available on specialized units. (Cybi Ward). Similarly we may include nephrostomy and patients who have undergone pain control therapies. Here we may choose illness types depending upon the present and admission rates. This would provide important performance feedback on specialized surgical services. (ii) ERCP or Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-Pancreatography patients as number of such patients can be quite large. (iii) Liver biopsy patients as they can reveal substantially about the quality of diagnosis and follow-up treatment. (iv) A set of Face to Face interview and Questionnaire may be administered to patients who availed services of rapid response team. In fact a subset of questions may be built with in critical areas questions both in Face to Face interviews and Questionnaires to assess the performance of this team. (v) Specialist children's services is a multi-agency service for children and young people with developmental delay or disorder, disability, or illness who require a co-ordinated service from the Health Trust, the Social Services and the Education Departments in Anglesey and Gwynedd(Specialist).This sample would enable a performance view on much coordinated services of the hospital. (vi) Health visitor service wherein a qualified nurse visits community places to identify and help solve health problems. This would be an offsite service offered by the hospital and respondent location would accordingly be offsite. (v) A small Face to Face interview and standard Questionnaire may be administered to immunization patients. (vi) Hospital birth giving mothers may also be included in appraisal of hospital birth services. This probably would have an interface with rapid response team. (vii)Primary care counseling involving people experiencing psychological difficulties as a result of the foot and mouth epidemic may also be assessed for service quality. Such people include farmers, veterinary surgeons, farmer's union officials, agriculture officials and the rural business community. Family members may also be affected (Primary). Deciding upon the sample size for each critical area both for Face to Face interview and questionnaires Critical area sample size may be arrived by taking about 10-15% of the average number of patients undergoing full treatment in each of the critical areas in the past 5 years. First 5 year average is arrived fro each critical area and then 10-15% of it forms the sample. A random sampling scheme with random numbers generated by computer may be used in selection of respondents with in samples. Deciding upon the respondents of the Face to Face interview and questionnaires. We have indicated above that past patients (within last six months) and those who had an incomplete experience at the hospital are also be included in sample. Therefore random sampling may be run on these data sets also to get respondents from this category. It may be very useful to obtain spouse and/or primary family member responses in case of each respondent therefore some questions in Face to Face interview and questionnaires may be targeted to these respondents too. Deciding the administration sites both for Face to Face interview and questionnaires While major respondents would be contacted at hospital site(s).It is evident that past patients (with complete or incomplete experience at hospital) would have to be contacted at their addresses. Similarly customers of Health visitor service would have to be contacted at their locations. Designing the administration programme both for Face to Face interview and questionnaires with schedules and completion times. This programme should clearly indicate required manpower, budget, sites, start time and finish time and incentives for additional efforts. It should have a supervisory structure with clear-cut duties assigned to field staff. A PERT and a CPM chart may be drawn to cover the entire administration programme. Designing the Face to Face interview questions and Questionnaires The design should follow the narrow definition of customer satisfaction for Face to Face interviews and concentrate on specific treatment/services availed. An important aspect would be communication effectiveness of the treating physician. This should be measured in each Face to Face interview.Diagnosis, treatment and effectiveness of treatment would be the general coverage of Face to Face interviews. Administering both Face to Face interview and questionnaires A strict vigil may be kept on PERT and CPM charts drawn earlier. Floats may be utilized effectively. Collecting and collating data and analyzing data These two processes can run simultaneously with data collection. Statistical packages allow updated results. However qualified personnel may be chosen for these two tasks to avoid analytical errors. Report Report would have the format of abstract, literature survey, analysis, findings and conclusion followed by bibliography and appendices. Appendices would include charts /diagrams representing collected data. Bibliography http://www.northwestwales.org/WiSSCMS-en-208.aspx accessed on 02.02.06. Sheppard, M., (1993). Client satisfaction, extended intervention and interpersonal skills in community mental health. J. Adv. Nurs., 18,pp 246-259. Elbeck, M., (1992). Patient contribution to the design and meaning of patient satisfaction for quality assurance purposes: the psychiatric case. Health Care Manage Rev., 17(1), pp 91-95. Lebow, J.L., (1983-i). Similarities and differences between mental health and health care evaluation studies assessing consumer satisfaction. Evaluation and Program Planning, 6, pp 237-245. Lebow, J.L., (1983-ii). Research assessing consumer satisfaction with mental health treatment. Evaluation and Program Planning, 6,pp 211-236. Cybi Ward.Information Booklet for Visitors.Retreived April 19, 2006 from http://www.northwestwales.org. Specialist Children's Service. Gwynedd and Anglesey. Retrieved April 19, 2006 from http://www.northwestwales.org. Primary Care Counselling.Foot and Mouth Epidemic. Retrieved April 19, 2006 from http://www.northwestwales.org. Read More