OECD international “PaRIS survey of Patients with Chronic Conditions”: pilot phase in Switzerland

PaRIS (Patient-Reported Indicator Surveys) is an initiative of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to develop and implement patient-reported outcome measures ( PROMs) and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) in primary care. It provides a unique set of indicators that unveil how people of 45 years and older who live with chronic conditions experience primary care and how this impacts their lives. It also aims to enable international monitoring and comparison of outcomes and experiences of care, and to provide essential information on what is important to patients in their care.

Unisanté was commissioned by the Swiss Federal Quality Commission (CFQ) in 2022 to carry out the pilot phase of the international “PaRIS survey of Patients with Chronic Conditions” in Switzerland. This pilot survey targeted patients living with one or more chronic diseases and managed by primary care physicians. Its aim was to test the survey methodology.

Methods

To gather patients' views, the questionnaire, developed by the OECD to ensure harmonized data collection in all participating countries, was translated into the three national languages. It includes questions on experiences of care and treatment provided by general practitioners (GPs), as well as on health status and quality of life.

The PaRIS survey also includes a questionnaire to be filled out by primary care practices, with questions on how the practice operates and how it manages and supports patients with chronic illnesses.

The goal was to recruit 25 primary care practices, selected at random from the national register of medical professions (MedReg). Then, they were asked to randomly select 200 patients aged 45 and over living at home and seen at the practice in the previous six months and invite them to complete the questionnaire (January–March 2023). 

Preliminary results

Of the 134 family doctors (also known as general practitioners (GPs), who were invited to participate in the pilot phase of the survey (autumn 2022), 7 doctors agreed to take part. Of the 1,400 patients invited to participate, 248 completed the questionnaire, representing a response rate of 18% (response rate per doctor ranging from 12% to 25%).