The mixed method assessment of patients' experience to improve health care services: The case of patients with chronic kidney disease

The doctoral thesis underscores the importance of service quality in healthcare, particularly for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Service quality goes beyond clinical competence to include patient satisfaction, health outcomes, and well-being. Key variables influencing healthcare quality are patient safety, efficacy, and experience. Patient experience is essential for treatment adherence, engagement, and satisfaction, making standardized evaluation methods crucial. Understanding patient experience is particularly important in CKD due to the disease's chronic and evolving nature. Our research aims to propose a conceptual model for evaluating patient experience across CKD stages by integrating systematic reviews and patient journey mapping (PJM). The model encourages personalized, patient-centered care by adapting to the needs and preferences of CKD patients at different stages. Our research work found care coordination to be crucial, especially in advanced CKD stages, requiring integrated healthcare services. The successful implementation of PJM in Spain demonstrated its effectiveness and cultural adaptability, suggesting its broader application. Most importantly, Involving patients in developing evaluation tools ensures relevance and cultural appropriateness. Our research provides valuable qualitative data, highlighting gaps and laying the groundwork for future studies in diverse health care settings and across different diseases. Moreover, the findings emphasize the need for responsive, patient-centered care approaches to improve the healthcare experience for CKD patients.