Identifying hot spots for harm and blind spots across the care pathway from patient complaints about general practice.
O’Dowd E, Lydon S, Lambe KA, et al. Identifying hot spots for harm and blind spots across the care pathway from patient complaints about general practice. Fam Pract. 2022;39(4):579-585. doi:10.1093/fampra/cmab109.
Patient complaints can identify opportunities for patient safety improvement. This study explored whether an existing tool for measuring the severity of patient complaints – the Healthcare Complaints Analysis Tool – can effectively analyze complaints specific to general practice. Key issues identified by the study involved relationships (e.g., communication, patient rights) as well as clinical and management issues.