title: The voice of experience: results from Cancer Control New Zealand's first national cancer care survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The 2009 Cancer Care Survey aimed to gather information from patients about their experiences receiving outpatient cancer care.
  
  
  METHODS
  In mid-2009, Cancer Control New Zealand sent an NRC+Picker postal survey to a stratified sample of 3251 eligible adults, who had received outpatient cancer care between October 2008 and March 2009. Eight cancer treatment facilities across New Zealand provided patient lists from which potential respondents were selected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The final response rate to the survey was 68%. Most of the patients surveyed responded very positively to questions related to specialist care coordination (91% positive response; 95%CI: 90-93), the level of privacy (87% positive response; 95%CI: 85-89), and the dignity and respect provided by healthcare professionals (86% positive response; 95%CI: 85-88). However, patients tended to be much less positive about the level of information they received on the effects of cancer treatment on their day-to-day life (responses ranging between 30% and 40% positive) and the level of emotional support provided (36% positive response; 95%CI: 33-39). Responses from different cancer services tended to follow similar patterns, although for twelve questions there was at least a 20% difference in response between services.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, patients rated their outpatient cancer care experiences as positive, but important gaps exist in the provision of information, emotional support, and treating patients within the context of their living situation. Cancer patient experience surveys can achieve high response rates and generate useful information on patient perceptions of their care. This data can be used to inform quality improvement efforts at both national and cancer treatment service levels.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Control New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Inga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Britton
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sarfati
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Naylor
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Borman
authors.forename: Lis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ellison-Loschmann
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tamblyn
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Atkinson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D010045:Outpatients; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies