“Your opinion matters to us” is the theme of a new patient survey program initiated by the Lanark County Ambulance Service (LCAS).
The program, which began in January, seeks input from patients who have used the Ambulance Service and from their family members.
The survey is part of the LCAS Continuous Quality Improvement Program, which is designed to ensure the Ambulance Service is providing the level of care expected by our community.
Surveys are being sent to randomly chosen patients throughout Lanark County and include patients from all types of calls.
The surveys do not contain any information that identifies the patients, in order to ensure that all information collected is in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004. This ensures that any completed and returned survey will contain only general information about the LCAS’s ability to respond appropriately to patients’ needs.
The survey asks ten questions that cover the entire ambulance call. For example, one question asks if the arrival time of the ambulance was appropriate. Another question focuses on the care delivered by the paramedics and a final question asks the respondent to rate their overall experience with the LCAS. Each answer is on a scale of one to five, with five indicating that the respondent was happy with the service provided.
The patients selected will receive the survey, a letter describing the survey program and an addressed stamped envelope to use to mail back the survey.
Completion of the survey is voluntary. The surveys are being sent by supervisors and will be reviewed by the LCAS Deputy Chief only. This will ensure that the survey results are valid further reduce any possibility that the respondent can be identified.
While the survey is completely confidential, it does indicate that patients can ask the LCAS to contact them directly if they have any questions or concerns.
“Patient feedback helps us improve how we deliver patient care as we continue to evolve,” said LCAS Deputy Chief Ed McPherson.
“Our medics offer more interventions than even five years ago and their skill sets are constantly increasing. The patient feedback we obtain from the survey will provide the LCAS with the information we need to ensure that we are meeting the expectations of our patients.”
