“We Know That They Know”—Increasing Positive Feedback on Medication Advice Provided to Surgical Inpatients: A Pharmacist-Led Quality Improvement Project Focusing on Satisfaction With Information About Medicines

BACKGROUND: "I wasn't told about my new medicines." This was a frequent comment in local Patient Experience reports. The World Health Organisation (WHO) Third Global Patient Safety Challenge is "Medication Without Harm." Improving patients' understanding about their medicines is a key component of this campaign to ensure safe and effective use. The aim of this project was to increase the proportion of adult surgical inpatients who report positive feedback on medicines advice given to them whilst an inpatient. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team comprised of pharmacists, nurses, and doctors undertook a 6-month initiative across two adult surgical wards. Using Quality Improvement methodology-including process mapping, Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, and run charts-the team tested a series of targeted interventions designed to improve medication-related communication. Interventions included distributing "Welcome to Ward" information cards, prompting patients to ask questions, and tailoring advice based on real-time patient feedback. To obtain accurate, actionable data, the team implemented the Satisfaction with Information about Medicines Scale (SIMS), a validated 17-item questionnaire measuring patients' satisfaction with the amount and quality of information received. SIMS surveys were provided to patients ready for discharge, and data were collected weekly to inform iterative changes. RESULTS: A total of 217 patients participated in the SIMS survey. The introduction of SIMS increased the depth of patient feedback, which in turn facilitated targeted improvements. A run chart revealed a trend in positive feedback following the implementation of SIMS and subsequent intervention cycles (Graph 1). From a baseline median of 0%, the results demonstrated a signal of improvement with a trend of 5 consecutive increases in the percentage of patients providing positive feedback. Only 4 runs out of 19 points indicated a nonrandom pattern, and the majority of the final points on the graph were above the new median (30%), indicating improvement. Notably, when patient feedback was used to tailor advice-particularly regarding side effects and interactions-satisfaction markedly improved. Minimal additional counseling time (7.6% extra compared with baseline) was required to achieve these outcomes (balance measure), and patients appreciated the multidisciplinary approach, with 64% reporting they received medication advice from a combination of doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. Some interventions, such as distributing welcome cards and encouraging patients to self-initiate questions, did not yield improvements. CONCLUSION: This Quality Improvement project underscores the power of listening to-and acting on-patient feedback. By introducing a validated tool and embedding it into the discharge workflow, the team was able to transform vague concerns into concrete improvements. Patients were more satisfied when advice was specific, timely, and responsive to their concerns. The project highlights how real-time data and multidisciplinary collaboration can reshape care delivery and improve the patient experience.