Patient experience is an important marker of quality in healthcare and is important as it influences whether patients attend for colonoscopy procedures or take part in screening programmes. Current measures of patient experience tend to measure satisfaction and have been devised by doctors and nurses, which is problematic as there is evidence to suggest that doctors, nurses and patients have different priorities. We aim to develop a fully patient-derived patient reported experience measure for gastrointestinal endoscopy, based on what patients tell us is important to them.

So far, we have developed the PREM using a rigorous, four stage process. The first stage involved speaking to patients to identify what factors contribute to patient experience. The second stage involved developing questions based on the information patients gave us. We then tested the PREM in the third stage and using this information refined this to produce the Newcastle ENDOPREM™ in the fourth stage.

The next steps in this process are to translate the Newcastle ENDOPREM™ into different languages and to test it internationally. We are also modifying the PREM for other procedures, so that we can compare and contrast patient’s experiences of different tests.

• Dr Laura Neilson

• South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust