Health Services Consumer Research Limited (HSCR) was incorporated under the Companies Act 1993 on the 23rd of April 1999
HSCR employs and works in partnership with trained data collection staff (supervised by the data processing coordinator), analysts and reports writers, and sales and marketing personnel. A set of policy documents ensures that all communication between colleagues are confidential and all processes conform to required standards.
The company works closely together with Infotools New Zealand. This company provides HSCR with ESPRI software which is used to analyse survey data. HSCR is a small company dedicated to excellence. The staff’s expertise is based on sound scientific practice and a combined 32 years of experience in the health sector.
HSCR has substantial experience in survey research in the healthcare sector and specialises in monitoring patient and staff satisfaction. It provides all kinds of healthcare service providers (DHBs, PHO’s, private organisations) with expert advice on how to best monitor attitudes and opinions.
As a result of the efforts made by New Zealand District Health Boards in implementing a nationwide Patient Survey, and using the Patient Survey Guidelines established back in June 2000, DHBs around New Zealand can now access a national database which presently consist of some 580,385 patient records and 9.25 million ratings from inpatients and outpatients in 21 District Health Boards.
This data is analysed in the New Zealand Patient Satisfaction Index (see NZPSI). This quarterly report, which HSCR started producing back in the year 2004, both in electronic (.pdf) format and as a hard copy report, contains an analysis of patient satisfaction ratings in all New Zealand DHBs. Reports show satisfaction ratings of inpatients and outpatients on each individual item, using demographics to throw more light on differences between the various DHBs.
The New Zealand Patient Satisfaction Index database is available for analysis, either on an individual ad hoc basis or at a national level.
In addition to producing the NZPSI in secondary care, HSCR has also made a concerted effort to standardise a patient survey in primary care.
The New Zealand General Practice Assessment Questionnaire (see NZGPAQ) is the New Zealand version of the General Practice Assessment Questionnaire (GPAQ) developed by the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre, University of Manchester, UK.
It is one of two surveys used by the UK Department of Health to monitor patient satisfaction. In 2005 Health Services Consumer Research signed a contract with the University of Manchester to implement the survey in New Zealand and Australia.
To complement the standard English version, the questionnaire is now also available in Maori, Samoan, Tongan, Chinese and Thai. Questionnaires are numbered with a code which incorporates the PHO, the practice, the doctor (using the NZMC code), and a sequential number for the patient. In this survey, all patients attending the surgery over a specific period of time, e.g. a week, are handed a questionnaire by the receptionist/practice nurse or the doctor who explains the survey to them – in their own language if necessary.
A more recent development has seen the creation of a New Zealand Pharmacy Patient Survey (see NZPPS)
Please contact HSCR for further information.