How Patient Experience Contributes to Improving Healthcare

Dear Colleagues,

Patient experience is now widely recognized as a core dimension of healthcare quality, alongside safety and clinical effectiveness [1–3]. It provides a vital lens on how health systems respond to patients’ needs, values, and preferences. While often conflated with satisfaction, patient experience is conceptually distinct and increasingly positioned as a potential driver of care improvement [2,3].

Evidence supports a positive association between patient experience and clinical outcomes, including reduced adverse events and improved treatment adherence [4,5]. Systematic reviews suggest that experience-informed interventions can enhance quality, especially in hospital settings [6]. However, the nature and strength of these links remain context-dependent and sometimes difficult to isolate from confounding factors [4]. Organizational studies further suggest that cultures fostering patient-centered care are more likely to support meaningful innovation [5], though barriers such as fragmented leadership and resistance to change persist.

Marzban et al. [7] underscore the growing consensus on the value of patient engagement but also highlight gaps in evaluating its long-term impact and return on investment. Thus, while patient experience holds promise for transforming healthcare, its operationalization still demands robust methodologies, clarity of scope, and sustained institutional commitment.

This Special Issue aims to highlight how patient experience can serve as a lever for improving the quality, safety, and equity of healthcare systems. We welcome contributions that explore innovative approaches to integrating patient voice into clinical practice, care organization, and policy-making. In this Special Issue, original research articles, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

* Patient-reported experience measures (PREMs);

* Experience-informed quality improvement strategies;

* Organizational culture and patient-centered care;

* Methodologies for analyzing patient experience;

* Policy and governance innovations involving patient voice.

References

1. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Patient Experience. 2023. Available at: https://www.ahrq.gov/cahps/about-cahps/patient-experience/index.html (accessed on July 2025).
2. Wolf, J.A.; Niederhauser, V.; Marshburn, D.; LaVela, S. L. Defining patient experience. Patient Experience Journal 2014, 1, 7–19. Available at: https://pxjournal.org/journal/vol1/iss1/3/
3. Oben, P.; Lee, R.; Thompson, L. Understanding the patient experience: A conceptual framework. Journal of Healthcare Quality 2020, 42, 93–101. https://doi.org/10.1097/JHQ.0000000000000223
4. Doyle, C.; Lennox, L.; Bell, D. A systematic review of evidence on the links between patient experience and clinical safety and effectiveness. BMJ Open 2013, 3, e001570. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2012-001570
5. Luxford, K.; Safran, D. G.; Delbanco, T. Promoting patient-centered care: a qualitative study of facilitators and barriers in healthcare organizations with a reputation for improving the patient experience. International Journal for Quality in Health Care 2011, 23, 510–515. https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzr024
6. Bastemeijer, C.M.; Boosman, H.; van Ewijk, H.; Verweij, L.M.; Voogt, L.; Hazelzet, J.A. Patient experiences: a systematic review of quality improvement interventions in a hospital setting. Patient Relat Outcome Meas. 2019, 10, 157–169. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31191062/ 397. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4245-5
7. Sima, M.; Marziye, N. Impact of Patient Engagement on Healthcare Quality: A Scoping Review  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5445-2235 https://doi.org/10.1177/237437352211254

Prof. Dr. Stéphanie G. Gentile
Guest Editor

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• patient experience
• care quality
• patient-centered care
• quality improvement
• healthcare systems
• patient-reported measures
• health equity