Piloting the SinergyAPS theory-based online intervention centred around the systematic patient feedback for improving patient safety in Primary Care: a mixed-methods feasibility study (Preprint)

Abstract

Developing new strategies to support the provision of safer primary care (PC) is a major priority both internationally and in Spain, where around 3 million adverse events occur each year in the PC setting.

The primary aims of this mixed-methods feasibility study were to examine the feasibility and to explore the acceptability and perceived utility of the SinergiAPS intervention, a novel low-cost and scalable theory-based online intervention to improve patient safety in PC centres, based on the use of patient feedback. The secondary aim was to examine the potential impact of the intervention to improve patient safety culture and avoidable hospitalizations in PC centres.

We conducted a three-month, one-arm, feasibility trial in ten PC centres in Spain. Centres were fed back information regarding patients' experiences of safety (collected through PREOS-PC questionnaire) and were instructed to plan safety improvement actions based on it. We measured recruitment and follow-up rates, and intervention uptake (number of centres registering improvement plans). We explored the impact of the intervention on patient safety culture (MOSPSC questionnaire), and avoidable hospital admissions rate. We conducted semi-structured interviews with nine professionals to explore the acceptability and perceived utility of the intervention.

Of 256 professionals invited, 120 (47%) accepted to participate and 97 completed baseline and post-intervention measures. Of 780 patients invited, 585 (77%) completed the PREOS-PC questionnaire. Five centres designed 27 improvement actions. Most of the actions addressed treatment-related safety problems and consisted in the provision of training to PC providers. Compared to baseline, post-intervention MOSPSC scores were significantly higher (indicating a higher level of culture) for the safety culture synthetic index (3.36/5 at baseline vs. 3.44/5 at post-intervention (2% increase); p=0.01). No differences (p=0.11) were observed in avoidable admissions rate before (median (IQR)=0.78 (0.7 to 0.9) vs. after the intervention (0.45 (0.33 to 0.83)). The interviews revealed that the intervention was perceived as a novel strategy that could produce long-term safety improvements by raising their awareness and improving their technical knowledge about patient safety.

The proposed intervention is feasible to deliver and perceived as acceptable and useful by PC professionals if the barriers identified are addressed. The effectiveness of the refined intervention will be assessed in a trial involving 59 centres.

clinicaltrials.gov NCT03837912