In a significant step towards strengthening Zambia’s health system and improving healthcare services and patient experiences, WHO HQ in collaboration with the WHO Country Office successfully trained a team of health professionals on the implementation of the Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMS) pilot study. 

The PREMS pilot study seeks to assess the quality of healthcare services from a patient’s perspective. By actively involving them in evaluating their experiences, strengths and weaknesses will be identified within the healthcare system that will be used to inform policies and interventions to enhance patient-centered care. 

The training conducted over five days brought together a group of healthcare professionals, researchers and policymakers from the Ministry of Health provincial and district levels and the National Health Research Authority. Facilitated by WHO technical experts in reported measures and data analysis, the intensive sessions covered fundamentals of cognitive testing, field testing of the PREMS tool, analysis, dissemination, use of results and documentation of lessons learned.

During the opening of the training, Dr Rosemary Mwanza, the Director from the Ministry’s Department of Quality Assurance, Quality Improvement, thanked WHO for organizing the training, stating its significance in advancing healthcare in Zambia.

“This study is a testament of Zambia’s commitment to ensuring that all healthcare services provided are people centered. I am confident that the team being trained here are well able to conduct this study, to help us understand the needs of our patients and report on how we can better provide services that speak to these needs,” she said. 

The implementation of the PREMS Study will be piloted in Zambia, Ghana, and Kenya in selected healthcare facilities, representing both urban and rural areas. The study will cover various aspects of healthcare experience including communication with healthcare providers, waiting time, access to information and overall satisfaction of health services received. 

Ms Viola Milambo, a Quality of Care and Health Systems Strengthening Officer at Chawama Level One Hospital expressed her excitement for the study.

“I am excited to apply the skills and knowledge from this training. I know it help us get all the information we need to improve our interaction with the patients and communities we serve.” 

Once piloted, a cognitive testing of the PREMs questionnaire will be administered to 600 respondents from 20 selected health facilities, with the hope of the results and success inspiring the role out of the study to other member states to adopt people-centered approaches to improve healthcare experience across the globe.