Background
Methods
Design
Interviewer | |
Which authors conducted the interviews | ARH |
Qualifications | MSc, PhD |
Occupation at the time of the study | Research Fellow |
Gender | Female |
Experience and training | MSc in Advanced Social Research Methods (2001); lead researcher on three studies involving mixed quantitative and qualitative research methods (2003–13) |
Relationship with participants | No previous relationship |
Interviews | |
Setting | Private room on hospital premises |
Presence of non-participants | No |
Duration | Half an hour |
Consent | Consent obtained at time of interview |
Audiovisual recording | All interviews audio recorded with participant consent |
Transcription | Interviews were transcribed by qualified professionals and checked for accuracy by ARH |
Transcripts returned | All interviewees offered a copy of transcript |
Recruitment
Data collection and analysis
The setting
Results
Participants
Age group and gender by sexual orientation | |||||
Sexual orientation | Age group | Total | |||
29 years or less | 30 years or more | ||||
Heterosexual | Male | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
Female | 5 | 4 | 9 | ||
Gay | Male | - | 1 | 1 | |
Female | - | - | - | ||
Bisexual | Male | - | 2 | 2 | |
Female | - | - | - | ||
Total | 7 | 10 | 17 | ||
Used clinic before | Booked a slot | Registered with GP | |||
No | 4 | No | 15 | No | 2 |
Yes | 13 | Yes | 2 | Yes | 15 |
Work status | Ethnicity | Country of birth | |||
Employee | 7 | White | 8 | UK | 8 |
Self-employed | 2 | Asian | 2 | Africa | 3 |
Student | 2 | Black | 6 | Asia | 1 |
Unemployed | 6 | Other | 1 | Europe | 3 |
Relationship status | Language spoken at home | Post 16 years education | |||
Single | 13 | English | 12 | None | 2 |
Married | 2 | No English | 3 | Up to 4 years | 4 |
Living with partner | 2 | English and other | 2 | 5 years or more | 11 |
Making patients feel comfortable
“I say I don’t care but I was standing outside having a cigarette and I was thinking, ‘I hope I don’t see anybody that I know.’ Because I think some people still think, ‘Oh god, they’re going there.’ But it’s better to go there than not to go there” (Jane, over 29 years)
“the only time I came to hospital if I’m going to A&E or going with someone else, it didn’t feel that bad. It’s just the whole apprehension of the result which makes it seem longer if I’m being honest” (Ben, over 29 years)
• “So for me it is like, I feel really comfortable to come here to be seen by the doctors, because”; “and then, and she was like, she made me feel comfortable to make any questions. It was all right”; “Because they make you feel comfortable, about the service, about to make any questions, or yes”; “is a hospital. So yes, they make you feel really comfortable, actually you don’t really feel that you are in the”; “good, and they are really friendly, and make you feel comfortable. So it is a good clinic, I would recommend,” (female, under 30 years) • “to make things easy. They try to make you feel comfortable. So I don’t know, they’re laughing a lot. They’re really”; “you just wait there. And here, well the setting is comfortable. You have your water, you have a lot of leaflets”; “and he made me feel at ease, made me feel comfortable. Because I was waiting, and the fact I was wait”; “is there, in maximum one hour you’re done. It’s quite comfortable, the settings in the waiting area, inside the consultation room”; “in the waiting area, inside the consultation room, is really comfortable. I must say that most of the staff are nice” (female, under 30 years) • “I don’t know I just find it too, I'm not comfortable with too much eye contact, I am a teacher and”; “explain something to you, and I just, I'm not entirely comfortable with too much eye contact. Because it feels like they”; “ways of explaining things which I could have been more comfortable with” (female, over 29 years) • “sometimes I think it would be, some people might feel comfortable going back to the other, the same person, like the”; “like you can’t, they’re obviously here to make it as comfortable as possible for you. Obviously I don’t know people’s situations” (male, under 30 years) • “everything. When I sat down they just made me feel comfortable straightaway, broke the ice and that was it I was”; “know if I’m thinking of A&E but it was comfortable and very spaced out, it was actually a lot cooler”; “lot cooler than it was outside. So yes it felt comfortable, I just felt at ease do you know what I” (male, over 29 years) • “but she was very comfortable talking to me about very specific things and understood some”; “and I wanted … whereas the guy I felt much more comfortable with, so saying about the risks of HIV transmission if” (male, over 29 years) • “stuff like that. Then examined me so, I felt very comfortable with that doctor. He said he didn’t know what it” (male, over 29 years) • “me, is it me?” kind of thing. And yes, it’s comfortable anyway”; “her stuff and so yes, for me… Left me feeling comfortable with whatever… She seemed quite experienced, so I felt straight”; “simple, it was answered, so it left me again pretty comfortable, so yes”; “doing a good job, saying that the setup… It’s quite comfortable, and once you’re quite comfortable things must seem good or seem must be right, or” (male, over 29 years) • “I’m trying to remember. You know when you feel comfortable once someone’s questioned you or it’s like they’re interested in”; “So, yes I think you feel more you know like comfortable maybe” (female, over 29 years) • “a lot discussion with the doctor, I really felt very comfortable and I felt it was a really individual approach. So” (female, over 29 years) • “Alison: consultation? How did you feel about that? David: I felt comfortable”; “Alison: anything more that you could say about what makes it comfortable for you? David: It’s just relaxed. It’s very friendly. That’s” (male, over 29 years) • “Which makes you feel more comfortable. So that is all right”; “little things, they do go into it. So I feel comfortable that I don’t have to ask them for a bit; “caring tone they use, and they do make you feel comfortable, because if they weren’t you wouldn’t feel comfortable”; “approach it in a good way, to make you feel comfortable” (female, under 30 years) • “I think as long as any doctor makes you feel comfortable, which he did, he made me feel comfortable, his sex didn’t matter” (female, under 30 years) • “was a much more friendly and made you feel more comfortable than what the doctor did. Then he sort of explains”; “I don’t really like taking tablets. But I don’t feel comfortable enough to say to the doctor, ‘Can I wait until’” (female, over 29 years) • “or turn them off. But I thought it was fine, comfortable seating and loads of leaflets with information on like sexually” (male, under 30 years) |
“everything was very open, it was just small talk in between and that. So she made me feel at ease and obviously she sent me into the next room straightaway and then I saw the nurse … introduced himself so it was first name basis” (Ben, over 29 years)
“very, very good to be honest with you, yes. There was nothing that they couldn’t answer for me … any questions I had to ask, even something simple, it was answered, so it left me again pretty comfortable” (Rob, over 29 years)“there was a sense of kind of sensitivity and responsiveness from the doctor, to my needs, not only as a patient but as a female. So I found that extremely accommodating” (Olivia, over 29 years)
“having used the service before leaves me quite happy to feel everything’s confidential and the system they have in place is good, so it makes me feel safe to use the service” (Rob, over 29 years)
“and what I have to say is that she didn’t seem to be in a hurry, or anything like, ‘please hurry I have the next customer’. Or something like that. She was really taking her time, and be there for me, and yes that was really nice” (Chloe, under 30 years)
“so it’s been a very quick service considering it’s a walk-in centre. And I've not felt rushed. I've not felt hurried. I've not felt like the services were under pressure. I felt very relaxed. And there’s been a lot of information given at every step” (Elizabeth, under 30 years)
Improvements and recommendations
• “you can book your appointment but it’s going to be quick, yes, reasonable quick. And the staff are nice and they really try to protect your privacy. And … you can have your result by text message” (female, under 30 years) • “very professional … really expert staff, who you never kind of feel like, ‘God, how many more patients have we got to see?’ Or anything like that, you never feel rushed. You really feel that they listen to your concerns, take them seriously, and deal with them. And also with any questions or follow up questions you might have, they care about the whole patient, and they kind of take everything into account I think. Which isn’t often the case I have to say” (female, over 30 years) • “all I can say, when I went it was all right for me. The people, the staff were fine. So hopefully the same experience would happen for somebody else, if I recommended them, so they could recommend somebody else” (male, under 30 years) • “it was discreet, the way they move you about and that, it’s discreet … people are friendly as I said even though I was getting the thing straight to the point, it was still put across in a nice way. The staff are good, they know how to talk, made you feel welcome and gave you everything that you needed at the time so yes it was just really, I liked the service” (male, over 29 years) • “everyone’s very gay friendly and that’s really important. There’s no, it’s very non-judgemental. People are very professional and things do run smoothly but the wait time may be a bit unpredictable. I would say to anybody take a half day, you know put half a day aside just in case” (male, over 29 years) • “if I knew someone with a problem I’d tell them, ‘that’s the only place to go. You’re seen and you’re dealt with and you’ll be content at the end’, so yes” (male, over 29 years) • “the service was very fast, what they were doing was full of care, but it was fast, you didn’t really feel that you were waiting. So that is great … an extremely pleasant environment, friendly and accommodating, in terms of timing, fantastic … I was told this was a very good clinic to go to, and you have asked me whether I have had any expectations, and I did, already because somebody told me it is fantastic. And it is, yes, well done” (female, over 29 years) • “first of all I like it that it is a hospital belonging to a university, that is in my head, or in my imagination, that this is like worth more than some random clinic? So that is what I like” (female, under 30 years) • “the fact that it is a walk-in service … which is really good, and the times are from early to late. So it gives it a lot time to just come in and able to get, the peace of mind, and so it is really good” (female, under 30 years) • “it’s very discreet. It’s clean. It’s efficient. It’s quick. And the doctors and nurses, from my experience, are very good” (female, under 30 years) • “they’re thorough and it’s confidential and you don’t have to be embarrassed about anything when you go, you know, when you go there. I’ve even brought people along” (female, over 29 years) • “I’d just say to come down here because it’s quite easy and straight forward, and I’d say based on today’s experience I’d say it is quite efficient, so you’re here an hour and you’re out, which isn’t too bad” (male, under 30 years) |
Interpretation of real-time survey questions
Question | Responses given by interviewees | |
---|---|---|
1. Overall, how would you rate the care you received? | Excellent | 8 |
Very good | 6 | |
Good | 2 | |
Fair | 0 | |
Poor | 0 | |
Positive (without specific rating)a
| 1 | |
2. Were you given enough privacy when discussing your condition or treatment? | Yes, always | 8 |
Yes, sometimes | 2 | |
No | 0 | |
Yes (without specific rating) | 7 | |
3. Have you been treated with dignity and respect by staff in this department? | Yes, always | 10 |
Yes, sometimes | 1 | |
No | 0 | |
Yes (without specific rating) | 6 | |
4. Were you involved as much as you wanted to be in decisions about your care and treatment? | Yes, definitely | 7 |
Yes, to some extent | 3 | |
No | 1 | |
Yes (without specific rating) | 6 | |
5. How much information about your condition or treatment has been given to you? | Not enough | 4 |
The right amount | 9 | |
Too much | 0 | |
Positive (without specific rating) | 2 | |
No answer | 2 | |
6. Did you find someone on the hospital staff to talk to about your worries and fears? | Yes, definitely | 2 |
Yes, to some extent | 0 | |
No | 3 | |
I had no worries or fears | 3 | |
Yes (without specific rating) | 7 | |
No answer | 2 | |
7. Did the doctor/nurse explain the reasons for any treatment or action in a way that you could understand? | Yes, completely | 6 |
Yes, to some extent | 3 | |
No | 0 | |
I did not have any treatment or action | 3 | |
Yes (without specific rating) | 5 | |
8. In your opinion how clean was the department? | Very clean | 8 |
Fairly clean | 5 | |
Not very clean | 0 | |
Not at all clean | 0 | |
Clean (without specific rating) | 4 |
Q1: overall, how would you rate the care you received?
Q2: were you given enough privacy when discussing your condition or treatment?
Q3: have you been treated with dignity and respect by staff in this department?
“oh yes definitely. I felt fine with it. I could still walk out with my head held high” (Ben, over 29 years)“yes I’ve been treated with dignity, always, and that’s why I come back” (Richard, over 29 years)
Q4: were you involved as much as you wanted to be in decisions about your care and treatment?
“yes, I would say so. I mean, there was no need for me to do anything, but whatever was kind of like going on you were just going with the flow, so yes” (Rob, over 29 years)Some questioned whether they had a role in decisions:“I don't know what it means by were you involved as much. I mean it's basically their decision that I should do the test, so you know there’s nothing to be involved with really” (Daniel, over 29 years)