Patient Engagement Group
Learning Objective: To understand what a Patient Engagement Group (PEG) is and the benefits of implementing a PEG in your practice.
What is a Patient Engagement Group?
A PEG is a diverse group of your enrolled patients who have been invited to share their experiences of your practice. The group meets regularly with the aim to improve patient experience. Group membership will reflect the practice patient population, ensuring diversity in ethnicity, age, gender, disability, and patient experience.
Why implement a Patient Engagement Group?
Patients are increasingly being asked to play a larger role in their own health. A patient-centric approach to care has become more prevalent, yet many practices do not actively engage with their patient population. A PEG provides patients with a platform to express what they need from their health provider. This leads to a more engaged and empowered patient population who feel they have a say in how their practice is managed. PEGs allow practices to focus on patient-centric care and improve the patient-clinician relationship.
Who does what?
|
Staff |
Role |
|
General Practitioners |
Work with management to decide which patients should make up the advisory group. May chair the PEG. Assist in using PEG feedback to improve practice. |
|
Nurses |
Work with management to decide which patients should make up the advisory group. May chair the PEG. Assist in using PEG feedback to improve practice. |
|
Reception/Administration |
Promote the PEG to enrolled patient population. May chair the PEG. May support PEG by minute taking. Assist in using PEG feedback to improve the practice. |
|
Management |
Invite PEG members. Coordinate meeting dates, agenda, and minutes. Choose and support Chairperson - the Chairperson can rotate amongst staff members. Use feedback from Patient Engagement Group to create change within the practice. |
|
PEG Chair |
Chair meeting by leading conversation and engaging patients in discussion. Act as liaison between PEG and practice team. |
|
WellSouth |
Support the practice in the development of PEG guidelines. Assist the practice with choosing a cross-section of their patients. Support the practice in best using the feedback collected in PEG to introduce change. |
Implementation timeline
Preparation
- Engage staff by showcasing the benefits of a PEG.
- Decide on practical issues such as where the meeting takes place and how regularly.
- Invite a diverse group of patients to form the PEG.
- Once patients accept, ensure they have signed a confidentiality agreement.
- Invite the Patient Engagement Group to the first meeting.
1st Meeting
- The first meeting may be an exploratory session where everyone introduces themselves and the purpose and function of the group is established.
- Decide how often the group will meet (usually every quarter).
- Decide on agenda for next meeting.
Subsequent Meetings
- Follow agenda and review actions from previous meetings (if required).
- Use feedback gathered here to create continuous improvement projects.
- After each meeting take time to reflect and see if the format needs tweaked.
- Feedback to all patients after each meeting.
Patients
Membership onto the PEG will be by invitation or the practice may agree to patient self-nomination. Members must sign a confidentiality agreement. The patient is expected to provide open and honest feedback on their experience at the practice, which will improve overall patient experience in the practice. The patients are members of the PEG for a pre-specified amount of time, after which new patients are invited.
How to measure success
Enhancing services and patient experience through continuous improvement projects is the aim of the PEG. Therefore, one measure of success is the number of continuous improvement projects which arise from the PEG. Other measures of success include:
- Improved communication between practice and patients.
- Increased engagement and scoring in the national Patient Experience Survey.
- Reduction in patient complaints.
- Increased staff morale.
- Patients requesting membership on the PEG.
Helpful Tips
It may be necessary to reimburse the patients for their time and travel.
Providing a childminding service during the meeting will help with attendance.
It is important to share the feedback collected at the PEG with all patients. Use social media, website, texts to keep your patients informed of what the PEG discussed, and any changes being implemented because of the PEG.