Exploring patient participation in reducing health-care-related safety risks

Exploring patient participation in reducing health-care-related safety risks
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accordance with the national health plan (89). The channel is displayed in the waiting
rooms of some health units and selected content is available on the High Commissioner
for Health web site (90), on YouTube and Twitter.
Several national studies are usually performed to evaluate NHS users’ satisfaction. Citizens’
satisfaction with hospitalization, hospital appointments and emergency care is evaluated
as being between 2.29 and 2.81 out of a maximum of 5.0 (84). Quality and satisfaction
evaluation in national hospitals shows that HCWs are aware of quality issues, but long
waiting times persist and the level of response to complaints is inadequate (84).
The national health plan 2012–2016 was subject to consultation with the public
and health system stakeholders. Meetings with citizens and media are being taken
forward, along with information technologies (91). Citizens can comment on technical
documents on several topics relating to the health plan on its web site (92).
Health care institutions
The national institute of statistics, Statistics Portugal, and the Agency for the Knowledge
Society published the results of a national survey of information and communications
technology (ICT) in public and private hospitals in 2004 (93). One of the relevant facts
is that 90% of the national hospitals’ web pages listed information on the health services
they provided and 80% offered an e-mail address to receive messages, information
requests, suggestions and complaints. Over 23% also had information about health care
and health prevention on their web sites. It is clear, however, on examining activities
developed by the hospitals through the Internet, that communication with citizens was
less-well established (11.4%) (93).
Another Statistics Portugal study on ICT in hospitals (94) revealed that 88.1% had an
Internet presence, with 97.1% of web sites containing institutional information, 82.1%
displaying information about available services, 61.4% prevention and health care and
31% procedures in case of medical emergency, but only 8.2% allowed appointments to
be made online.
Social networks and patient organizations in Portugal
The Association of Public Services Users (95) aims to bring together hundreds of
users’ commissions and associations that exist all over the country, organizing and
coordinating their actions. The Association of Health Services Users, which is part of
the bigger association, mounts awareness campaigns through conferences, marathons
and other events in partnership with other patients’ associations (96).
Although some associations for patients with chronic diseases, such as the National
Association for Cystic Fibrosis, provide general information about surgical care, it is not
possible to identify within the scope of this study any association providing information
for patients undergoing elective surgery.
Patients and ICT
The influence of ICT (such as e-health, health information systems and media) in the
improvement of health literacy in modern societies is unarguable (93). It is believed