Bluewater Health Community Survey

1
Bluewater Health Community Survey
Presented to Dr. Kevin Smith
May 2007
2
Table of Contents

• Page
• Research Background and Methodology 2
• Key Findings Recommendations 6
• Health Care in the Local Community 10
• General Impressions of Bluewater Health 25
• Awareness of Issues Regarding Bluewater
  Health 35
• Usage of Bluewater Health 50
• Media Usage and Preferences 61
• Suggestions for Improvement 65

3
Research Background Methodology

• As the provincially-appointed investigator for
  Bluewater Health in Sarnia, Dr. Kevin Smith
  commissioned POLLARA to conduct a public opinion
  research poll of residents in the communities
  served by Bluewater Health.
• The main objectives of this research were to
• Investigate the publics perceptions of the local
  health care system
• Determine impressions and usage of Bluewater
  Health and,
• Understand the publics usage of various media
  sources.
• Results are based on a telephone survey conducted
  with 502 adult residents in Bluewater Healths
  catchment area, namely, Lambton County.
• Overall, these results are considered accurate to
  within 4.4, nineteen times out of twenty.

4
Research Background Methodology

• The survey was designed to ensure a
  representative sample of the population was
  attained. At the data analysis stage, the data
  were weighted to ensure they are fully
  representative of the population in Lambton
  County.
• The following table shows the number of
  interviews conducted in the community, and the
  corresponding margins of error

5
Research Background and Methodology Analyses
Conducted

• Frequencies have been reported for each question
  from the survey.
• Each question was cross-tabulated against the
  following variables to identify any differences
• Impressions of the overall quality of care
• Preferred hospital
• Perceived quality of care at Bluewater Health
• Awareness of issues regarding Bluewater Health
• Usage of Bluewater Health medical services and,
• Demographic groupings including region of
  residence, age, gender, education, household
  income, household composition, main community
  newspaper read, and opinion leader status.
• Where relevant, analyses of significant
  differences are presented in the report.

6
Note on Opinion Leaders

• Throughout this report, reference is made to the
  views held by Opinion Leaders.
• Opinion Leaders are defined as those citizens
  who are actively involved in the social and
  political life of their communities. These
  individuals have done at least one of the
  following activities in the past year
• Made a public speech
• Written a published article
• Written a letter to the editor of a newspaper or
  magazine
• Served as an officer for a club or organization
• Called a radio or TV talk show or,
• Volunteered for a political party or candidate.
• These residents can be regarded as influencers on
  other residents and are more likely to be vocal
  about social and political issues than other
  residents. They are at the forefront of public
  opinion.
• Opinion leaders are most likely to
• Have lived in the community for more than 25
  years (49 vs. 44 of the general population)
• Have attained a higher level of education, either
  university (24) or post-graduate level (15),
  versus 19 and 11 of the general population,
  respectively
• Have a household income of 100,000 or more (22
  vs. 17 of the general population).

7
Key Findings Recommendations
8
Key Findings Recommendations

• Perceptions of Health Care System in Local
  Community
• Residents of Lambton County appear to be well
  aware of the management issues at Bluewater
  Health. While a lack of doctors tops the list of
  health care concerns for residents (20),
  management issues and conflicts between hospital
  administrators and doctors follow closely behind
  (14).
• Overall ratings of the quality of local health
  care are mediocre (5.8), suggesting that the
  public thinks that the issues facing the local
  health care system (lack of doctors, management
  issues) have begun to affect the quality of care.
• In addition, almost two-thirds (61) of residents
  think the quality of care in their community has
  worsened over the past few years a trend
  primarily attributed to a lack of hospital staff
  and longer wait times.
• Efforts need to be made to improve the
  impressions of quality of care available to
  residents in Lambton County. In particular,
  issues surrounding the shortage of doctors and
  staff, the long wait times, and the conflict
  between management and doctors need to be
  addressed.
• A communications strategy will be necessary to
  alleviate the concern expressed by residents
  about their local health care system. This
  strategy should highlight the initiatives that
  have been, or will be, undertaken to address the
  issues.

9
Key Findings Recommendations

• Perceptions of Bluewater Health
• While Bluewater Health is the first choice
  hospital for many residents (46), this
  preference is driven primarily by the convenience
  of the Hospitals location and the lack of
  alternative options, not because of the quality
  of care received.
• In fact, the quality of care received at
  Bluewater Health is viewed by a plurality (35)
  of residents as worse than average (vs. 29 who
  say it is average). This is despite the fact
  that 60 of visitors to the Hospital say their
  experience there met their expectations.
• Residents are well aware of the issues regarding
  Bluewater Health and point to poor management
  (27), resolution of conflicts (9), and
  restoring public confidence (4) as the biggest
  challenges facing the Hospital today.
• Impressions of the Hospitals Board of Directors
  are poor (generating an average rating of 2.9 on
  a 10-point scale), especially in comparison to
  the more favourable ratings given to the
  Hospitals volunteers (8.2), nurses (7.8), and
  doctors (7.2).
• Similarly, trust in the hospital administrators
  to effectively manage the communitys health care
  resources is low (4.0 on a 10-point scale).
• Efforts need to be made to restore the publics
  confidence in Bluewater Health. The management
  issues and conflict between the Board and doctors
  need to be resolved as quickly as possible.
• Communications with the public are also required
  to highlight initiatives that are underway to
  improve the local health care system and how the
  resolution of the management issue will
  positively impact the quality of local health
  care.

10
Key Findings Recommendations

• Communications with Public
• Not surprisingly, the community is deeply
  concerned about the issues facing Bluewater
  Health and many residents want to be kept
  up-to-date on the initiatives that are being
  implemented to resolve the issues.
• Three-in-ten (30) residents think the best way
  for the Hospital to improve its image in the
  community is to increase communications with
  members of the public, while one-in-four (23)
  think the Hospitals management should be
  replaced.
• Residents express a preference for being kept
  informed about the progress at the Hospital
  through community newspapers or mailings from the
  Hospital.
• Frequent updates on the progress being made at
  Bluewater Health should be provided through local
  media outlets, particularly through local
  newspapers (e.g., the Sarnia Oberserver) or
  through direct mail from the Hospital.

11
Health Care in the Local Community
12
Most Important Health Care Issue in Community
Lack of Doctors Poor Management Closing
Hospitals/Accessibility/Space Waiting
Lists/Time Building New Hospital Quality of
Service Condition of Hospitals PR
Relationship Between Admin Staff
Diseases/Health (General) Other Dont
Know/Refused

• One-fifth (20) of residents believe that the
  lack of doctors is the most important health care
  issue facing their community today.
• In addition, approximately one-in-seven (14)
  residents mention either poor management (10) or
  the relationship between hospital administrators
  and staff (4) as the most important issue.

Q1 What do you think is the most important
health care issue facing your local community
today? (OPEN-END ACCEPT ONE MENTION ONLY)
13
Rating of Health Care Services in Local Community

• On average, residents rate the health care
  services in their community as 5.8 on a 10-point
  scale where 1 means very poor and 10 means
  excellent.
• Just over two-in-five (42) residents report that
  health care services in their local community are
  excellent (5) or good (37).

Mean 5.8
Q2 Overall, how would you rate the health care
services in your local community? Please use a
scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means very poor and
10 means excellent.
14
Rating of Health Care Services in Local
Community,by Genderation

• On average, impressions of the quality of local
  health care services become less favourable with
  age among both men and women.

15
Rating of Health Care Services in Local
Community,by Region

• Residents living south of Highway 402 rate their
  impression of local health care services
  significantly higher than their northern
  neighbours (6.1 vs. 5.4, respectively).

16
Change in Overall Quality of Care

• The majority (61) of residents think that the
  quality of health care in their community has
  worsened over the past few years, with
  one-in-four (26) reporting the quality of care
  has worsened a great deal.

Total Worsened61
Total Improved11
Q3 Over the past few years, would you say the
overall quality of health care available in your
community has...? (READ LIST)
17
Change in Overall Quality of Care, by Genderation

• Young residents (between 18 and 34 years of age)
  are most likely to think the overall quality of
  care in their community has improved over the
  past few years (32 among men and 27 among women
  in this age group).
• In contrast, residents between 35 and 54 years
  are most likely to believe the quality of care
  has worsened (66 among men and 69 among women
  in this age group).

18
Change in Overall Quality of Care, by Region

• Residents living south of Highway 402 are
  significantly more likely than their northern
  counterparts to believe that the quality of care
  in their community has improved (14 vs. 8,
  respectively), although the majority of the
  population in both regions report the quality of
  care has worsened.

19
Change in Overall Quality of Care, by Opinion
Leaders

• Opinion leaders are significantly more likely
  than other residents to believe that the quality
  of care has worsened in their community over the
  past few years.

NOTE Opinion leaders are defined as those
members of the community who are actively
involved in the social and political life of
their communities. These citizens have done at
least one of the following activities in the past
year made a public speech, written a published
article, written a letter to the editor of a
newspaper or magazine, served as an officer for a
club or organization, called a radio or TV talk
show, or volunteered for a political party or
candidate.
20
Change in Overall Quality of Care, by Household
Income

• As household income increases, so too does the
  likelihood of residents reporting that the
  quality of care in their community has worsened
  over the past few years (from 46 among those
  living in households earning less than 25,000 to
  74 of those living in households earning
  100,000 or more).

21
Change in Overall Quality of Care Reasons for
More Positive Opinion

• One-third (31) of residents who think that the
  quality of health care services in their
  community has improved over the past few years
  point to more doctors as the main reason for this
  improvement. One-fifth (20) also believe it is
  now easier to get the service and that the health
  care community is doing its best.

More Doctors Easier To Get Service/Doing Their
Best Poor Quality Care/Wait Times/Could Not Get
Help Building New Hospital/Renovations More
Services/More Accessibility Personal
Experience Improved On Waiting Times
Better/More/New Technology/Equipment Research
Doing Best They Can With Lack Of
Doctors/Nurses Other Dont Know/Refused
Q4 (IF IMPROVED AT Q3) Why do you say that?
(OPEN-END ACCEPT UP TO 3 MENTIONS PROBE Any
other reasons?) (n55)
22
Change in Overall Quality of Care Reasons for
More Negative Opinion
Lack Of Doctors/Nurses/Staff Wait Times
Poor Quality Of Care Cutbacks/Lack Of
Services Poor Management Lack Of
Accessibility/Beds/Hospitals Poor Condition Of
Hospital/Dirty Conflict/Bad Relationships
Poor Working Conditions/Low Morale Word
Of Mouth/What I Read Financial
Mismanagement Through Personal Experience
Decline In Health Care System User Fees/Cost
Of Health Care Doctors Resigned Privileges
Lack Of Communication Lack Of Funding Other
Dont Know/Refused

• Two-fifths (38) of residents who think that the
  quality of health care services in their
  community has worsened over the past few years
  cite a lack of doctors and nurses as the main
  reason for the decline in the quality of care.
  One-in-four (25) also point to wait times.
• One-fifth (22) of these residents also point to
  management issues as a reason for their opinion.

Q5 (IF WORSENED AT Q3) Why do you say that?
(OPEN-END ACCEPT UP TO 3 MENTIONS PROBE Any
other reasons?) (n304)
23
First Choice Hospital

• Almost one-half (46) of residents point to
  Bluewater Health as their preferred hospital if
  they or a family member were to require the
  services of a general hospital.

Bluewater Health Sarnia General
Hospital London Hospital (NONSPECIFIC) London
Health Science Centre/University/Victoria St.
Josephs Hospital General Hospital
(NONSPECIFIC) Sarnia Hospital (NONSPECIFIC)
Other Dont Know/Refused
Q6 If you or a family member were to require the
services of a general hospital, which hospital
would be your first choice? (DO NOT READ LIST
ACCEPT ONE RESPONSE ONLY)
24
Reason for Preference for First Choice
Hospital,by Hospital of Choice

• Two-thirds (68) of residents who prefer
  Bluewater Health express this preference
  primarily because of the location of the hospital
  and not because of the high quality of care
  received there 35 say its the only hospital
  available and 33 say its the closest hospital.
• In contrast, more than two-fifths (41) of
  residents who prefer a hospital other than
  Bluewater Health do so because of the perceived
  better quality of care and service received at
  this hospital.

Note Table has been reversed to include top
mentions of why specific hospital is preferred.
Mentions of 5 or less are not shown.
25
General Impressions of Bluewater Health
26
Quality of Health Care at Bluewater Health

• Residents are more likely to think the quality of
  health care at Bluewater Health is worse than
  average (35), as opposed to average (29) or
  better than average (5).

Q8 In your opinion, how does the quality of
health care at Bluewater Health compare to other
hospitals in southwestern Ontario? Is it...?
(READ LIST)
27
Quality of Health Care at Bluewater Health,by
Hospital of Choice

• Only one-in-twenty (6) residents who mention
  Bluewater Health as their preferred general
  hospital think the quality of health care
  available there is better than average. In
  fact, one-in-four (25) residents who choose
  Bluewater Health as their hospital of choice
  think the quality of care is worse than average.

28
Quality of Health Care at Bluewater Health,by
Usage of Hospital

• Residents who have visited Bluewater Health in
  the past year, either for themselves or for a
  loved one, are significantly more likely than
  those who have not visited to think the quality
  of care received at Bluewater Health is worse
  than average (39 vs. 23, respectively).

29
Quality of Health Care at Bluewater Health,by
Region

• More than two-fifths (42) of residents living
  north of Highway 402 think the quality of health
  care available at Bluewater Health is worse than
  average (compared to 27 of residents living
  south of Highway 402).

30
Quality of Health Care at Bluewater Health,by
Opinion Leaders

• Opinion leaders are significantly more likely
  than other residents to think that the quality of
  health care at Bluewater Health is worse than
  average (39 vs. 30, respectively).

31
Biggest Challenge Facing Bluewater Health
Poor Administration/Management Shortage of
Medical Personnel Getting New Hospital Built
Budget/Finances/Funding Resolving
Conflicts/Differences Services/Quality of Care
Gaining Trust/Confidence of Community
Waiting Time Other Dont Know/Refused

• One-in-four (27) residents point to poor
  management and administration as the biggest
  challenge facing Bluewater Health. In addition,
  9 mention the resolution of conflicts, while 4
  think Bluewater Health should focus on restoring
  the trust and confidence of the community.
• One-in-seven cite a shortage of medical staff
  (15) or the construction of the new hospital
  (12) as the biggest challenge.

Q9 In your opinion, what is the biggest
challenge facing Bluewater Health? (OPEN-END
ACCEPT ONE MENTION ONLY)
32
Biggest Challenge Facing Bluewater Health,by
Recall of Having Heard/Read Something About
Bluewater Health

• Residents who remember hearing or reading about
  Bluewater Health recently are more likely than
  those who have not to believe poor administration
  and management (30 vs. 20, respectively) and
  getting the new hospital built (15 vs. 5) are
  the biggest challenges facing the Hospital.

Note Table has been reversed to include top
mentions of the biggest challenges facing
Bluewater Health. Mentions of 5 or less are not
shown.
33
Impressions of Specific Aspects of Bluewater
Health

• On average, the Hospitals volunteers receive the
  highest impression rating (8.2) while the Board
  of Directors receive the lowest impression rating
  (2.9).

Mean 7.8 8.2 7.2 6.7 6.3 5.3 5.2 3.2 3.4 3.1 2.9
he hospitals nursing staff The hospitals
volunteers The hospitals physicians and
doctors The quality of care provided at the
hospital The level of communication between
health careproviders and patients and their
families The hospital facility itself The speed
of access to care The hospitals management The
level of communication between thehospitals
management and the local community The ability of
the hospitals doctors, Board of Directors,
mngmnt to work together to solve problems
facing the hospital The hospitals Board of
Directors
Q10-20 On a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is not
at all impressed and 10 is very impressed, how
would you rate the following aspects of Bluewater
Health? (READ AND ROTATE)
34
Perceptions of Management Issues

• Residents who have heard or read anything about
  the issues facing Bluewater Health rate their
  impression of the various management issues
  lower, on average, than those who have not read
  or heard anything about Bluewater Health
  recently.
• Similarly, opinion leaders are more likely to be
  critical of the Hospitals management issues than
  other residents.

35
Awareness of Issues Regarding Bluewater Health
36
Whether Read or Heard Anything About Bluewater
Health Recently

• The vast majority (71) of residents have read or
  heard something recently about Bluewater Health.
• Among these residents, the main source of that
  information was through a community newspaper
  (85).

Community Newspaper Through Radio
Television News Family Or Friend Doctor
Or Nurse National Newspaper The Rally
Information Provided By The Hospital Internet
Word Of Mouth (NONSPECIFIC) Personal
Experience Community/Public Meetings
Hospital Newsletter Other Dont
Know/Refused
Q21 Have you heard or read anything recently
about Bluewater Health? Q22 (IF YES AT Q21) What
was the source? (DO NOT READ LIST SELECT ALL
THAT APPLY) (n358)
37
Whether Read or Heard Anything About Bluewater
Health Recently Opinion Leaders

• Opinion leaders are significantly more likely
  than other residents to have read or heard
  anything about Bluewater Health recently (80 vs.
  63, respectively). The most common source of
  this information was through a community
  newspaper (85).
• Opinion leaders are more likely than other
  residents to read
• The Sarnia Observer (86 vs. 76, respectively)
• The London Free Press (34 vs. 23)
• Sarnia This Week (12 vs. 5)
• Toronto Star (9 vs. 4)
• Globe and Mail (9 vs. 5)

38
Whether Read or Heard Anything About Bluewater
Health Recently, by Genderation

• The likelihood of having read or heard anything
  about Bluewater Health increases with age among
  both men and women.

39
Whether Read or Heard Anything About Bluewater
Health Recently, by Community Newspaper Read
Regularly

• Residents who regularly read the Sarnia Observer
  (78), Sarnia This Week (93), the Globe Mail
  (88), or the London Free Press (81) are
  significantly more likely than the population in
  general to have read or heard anything about
  Bluewater Health recently.

Note Results for readers of community
newspapers marked with an asterisk should be
interpreted with caution due to small base sizes.
40
Bluewater Health Issues Read or Heard About

• Among residents who have read or heard anything
  about Bluewater Health recently, the vast
  majority of mentions (85) about what was read or
  heard pertain to management and communication
  issues.

Problems With Doctors And Management/Doctors
Resign Poor Management/CEO/Board of Directors
Problems With New Hospital/Expansion
Mismanagement Of Funds Report/Dr. Kevin Smith
Poor Quality Of Care Complaints/Conflicts/Poor
Relationships Poor Communication Negative
Comments (NONSPECIFIC) Community Involvement
Staff Cuts/Shortage Of Cleanliness Of
Building/Condition Of Poor Working Conditions
(GENERAL) Other Dont Know/Refused
85 - total management/ communication issues
Q23 (IF YES AT Q21) What did you read or hear?
(DO NOT READ LIST ACCEPT UP TO 3 MENTIONS
PROBE Anything else?)
41
Direction of Bluewater Health

• The majority of residents (51) feel that
  Bluewater Health is moving in the wrong direction.

Q24 In general, do you believe that Bluewater
Health is heading in the (ROTATE right direction
or the wrong direction)?
42
Direction of Bluewater Health, by Recall of
Having Heard/Read Something About Bluewater Health

• Residents who have read or heard anything about
  Bluewater Health are almost twice as likely as
  those who have not to say the Hospital is heading
  in the wrong direction (59 vs. 32,
  respectively).

43
Direction of Bluewater Health, by Genderation

• The likelihood of believing that Bluewater Health
  is heading in the wrong direction increases
  with age among both men and women.

44
Reasons for Saying Bluewater Health is Headed in
Right Direction

• Among those who think that Bluewater Health is
  headed in the right direction, almost
  three-in-ten (28) point to the construction of
  the new hospital as a reason for their optimism,
  while one-in-four (24) say the hospital is doing
  its best and getting things done.

Building A New Hospital Doing Their Best/Getting
Things Done Good Quality Care/Good Staff
They Are Working Together/Communicating Get
More Doctors Cant Get Worse/Didnt Hear
Anything Bad Amalgamation/Downsizing Expansion
Personal Experience Funding Improving
Condition Of Hospital Other Dont Know/Refused

Q25 (IF RIGHT DIRECTION AT Q24) Why do you say
that? (OPEN-END ACCEPT UP TO 3 MENTIONS PROBE
Any other reasons?) (n139)
45
Reasons for Saying Bluewater Health is Headed in
Wrong Direction

• Two-fifths (40) of residents who think Bluewater
  Health is headed in the wrong direction point
  to poor administration and management, while
  one-in-four (24) say management and hospital
  staff are not resolving their differences and
  conflicts.

Poor Administration/Management Not Resolving
Conflicts/Differences Timeline For New
Hospital No Trust/Confidence of Community
Quality Of Care Low Morale Cutbacks
Lack of Funding Shortage Of Staff From
My Own Observations Wrong Location Other
Q26 (IF WRONG DIRECTION AT Q24) Why do you say
that? (OPEN-END ACCEPT UP TO 3 MENTIONS PROBE
Any other reasons?) (n258)
46
Level of Trust in Hospital Administrators

• Two-fifths (43) of residents report that they
  distrust Bluewater Healths administrators, with
  one-in-four (25) saying they completely
  distrust the administration to properly manage
  the health system resources for Sarnia and the
  surrounding area (i.e., give a rating of 1 on a
  10-point scale where 1 means completely
  distrust and 10 means completely trust).

Mean 4.0
43 Distrust
17 Trust
Q27 Hospitals work to provide a wide variety of
health service needs to the community. To what
extent do you trust Bluewater Healths hospital
administrators to properly manage the health
system resources for Sarnia and surrounding
communities? Please use a scale from 1 to 10
where 1 means you completely distrust them and
10 means you completely trust them.
47
Level of Trust in Hospital Administrators,by
Genderation

• The level of trust that the public places in
  Bluewater Healths hospital administrators
  decreases with age among both men and women.

48
Level of Trust in Hospital Administrators,by
Recall of Having Heard/Read Something About
Bluewater Health

• Residents who have read or heard something about
  Bluewater Health recently rate their level of
  trust in the Hospitals administrators
  significantly lower than those who have not heard
  anything about the Hospital recently (3.6 vs.
  5.1, respectively).

49
Who Should Be Most Responsible for Managing
Health Resources

• The majority (54) of residents feel that
  hospitals in the community should be most
  responsible for managing Sarnias health
  resources.

The Hospitals In Your Community The Ontario
Government Both Community/People/Me
Someone Knowledgeable/Competent Doctors/Nurses
Other Dont Know/Refused
Q28 Who do you think should be most responsible
for managing the effective use of limited health
resources in Sarnia? Should it be...? (READ AND
ROTATE)
50
Usage of Bluewater Health
51
Accessed Bluewater Health in Past Year

• Almost three-quarters (72) of residents have had
  direct contact with Bluewater Health in the past
  year.

72 Total Yes
Q29 Have you, or any member of your family,
accessed Bluewater Health in the past year?
52
Accessed Bluewater Health in Past Year,by
Household Composition

• Residents living in households with children are
  significantly more likely than those with no
  children to have visited Bluewater Health in the
  past year (85 vs. 72, respectively).

53
Services Used at Bluewater Health

• Among those who have used services at Bluewater
  Health in the past year, more than one-half (53)
  have gone to the Hospital for emergency services.
• Just under one-fifth of these residents went to
  Bluewater Health for day surgery (17) or
  outpatient services (15).

Emergency Services Day Surgery Program
Outpatient Services Inpatient Medical
Services Diagnostic Imaging X-Ray/Cat
Scan/MRI/Ultrasound Chronic Care Blood
Test/Lab Work Rehabilitation/ Physiotherapy
Cardiac Care Tests/Treatments (GENERAL)
Doctor Appointment Other Dont
Know/Refused
Q30 (IF YES AT Q29) What services were used?
(OPEN-END DO NOT READ LIST) (n363)
54
Whether Services at Bluewater Health Met
Expectations

• For three-fifths (60) of residents who have used
  the Hospitals services this past year, their
  expectations were met.
• Almost three-in-ten (28) report that their
  experience fell short of their expectations.

Q31 Id like you to think about your
expectations of the hospital service that you or
your loved one used. Did the service...? (READ
AND ROTATE LIST)(n363)
55
Whether Services at Bluewater Health Met
Expectationsby Service Used

• Residents who used Bluewater Healths day surgery
  program (33) or inpatient medical services (33)
  are most likely to say their care fell short of
  expectations.

56
Whether Affected by Changes at Bluewater Health

• Three-in-ten (30) residents report that they
  have been personally affected by the changes that
  Bluewater Health has made to its services and
  programs in the past few years.

Q32 Hospitals in Ontario, including Bluewater
Health, have faced budget challenges in the past
few years and have been involved in restructuring
services and programs. Have you personally been
affected by any changes that Bluewater Health has
made to its services or programs?
57
Whether Affected by Changes at Bluewater
Health,by Perceptions of Change in Community
Health Care

• Residents who think the quality of care in their
  community has worsened over the past few years
  are significantly more likely than those who
  think care has improved to say they have been
  affected by the changes made at Bluewater Health
  (39 vs. 13, respectively).

58
Whether Affected by Changes at Bluewater
Health,by Recall of Having Heard/Read Something
About Bluewater Health

• One-third (34) of residents who have read or
  heard anything about Bluewater Health recently
  report that they have personally been affected by
  the changes at the Hospital (compared to only 19
  of those who have not heard anything about
  Bluewater Health recently).

59
Whether Affected by Changes at Bluewater
Health,by Opinion Leaders

• Opinion leaders are almost twice as likely as
  other residents to report that they have been
  personally affected by the changes made at
  Bluewater Health (39 vs. 21, respectively).

60
How Patients Have Been Personally Affected by
Changes at Bluewater Health

• Among residents who say they have been affected
  by changes at Bluewater Health, just over
  one-in-four (26) say they have not received
  proper care or service.
• Other ways in which patients have been affected
  include longer wait times (18) and experiencing
  the effects of cutbacks on services (16).

Lack Of Proper Care/Service Long Wait
Times Cut Backs (GENERAL) Shortage Of Staff
Lack Of Accessibility Procedures/Appointment
s Delayed/Cancelled Having To Go Out Of Town For
Treatment Now Must Pay Fees The Food Is
Terrible Sending Patients Home Too Soon
Hospital Is Dirty Other Dont
Know/Refused
Q33 (IF YES AT Q32) How have you been affected?
(OPEN-END ACCEPT UP TO 3 MENTIONS PROBE
Anything else?) (n149)
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Media Usage Preferences
62
Usage of Bluewater Health Website

• Only one-in-ten (10) residents have visited the
  Bluewater Health website.

Q35 Have you ever visited the Bluewater Health
website?
63
Satisfaction with Website

• Among respondents who have visited the Bluewater
  Health website, the majority (57) are satisfied
  with the information on the site.

Total Satisfied57
Total Dissatisfied26
Q36 (IF YES AT Q35) Are you very satisfied,
somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or
very dissatisfied with the information available
to you on the website? (n51)
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Preferred Medium Through Which to Receive
Information About Bluewater Health

• Almost one-half (47) of residents prefer to
  receive information about Bluewater Health
  through articles in a community newspaper,
  followed by direct mail from the hospital (17).

Articles In Community Newspaper Direct Mail From
The Hospital Word Of Mouth (NONSPECIFIC)
Hospital Website Radio Media
(NONSPECIFIC) Printed Material Picked Up From
Hospital Other Dont Know/Refused
Q37 What do you think is the best way for you to
receive information about Bluewater Health?
(ACCEPT ONE MENTION ONLY DO NOT READ LIST)
65
Suggestions for Improvement
66
Suggestions on How to Improve Hospitals Image

• Three-in-ten (30) residents recommend improved
  communication and a more open approach as a way
  to improve Bluewater Healths image in the
  community.
• One-in-four (23) suggest replacing the
  Hospitals management would be the best way to
  improve the Hospitals image.

Better Communication More Honest/Open/Accountabl
e Approach Replace Management/Administration
Better Relationship BetweenAdministration/Staff/
Public Better Care/Service Competent/Courteous
Staff Build New Hospital More Staff
Manage Money Better Board Of Directors
Should Be Elected Better Accessibility
Other Dont Know/Refused
Q38 Hospitals are always looking for ways to
improve their relationship with the community. In
your view, how could Bluewater Healths image in
the community be improved? (ACCEPT UP TO 3
MENTIONS PROBE Anything else?)
67
Suggestions on How to Improve Hospitals
ImageVerbatim Comments

• The following are some verbatim comments from
  respondents on their recommendations for
  improving Bluewater Healths image in the
  community
• Be far more open with the public. They have
  closed door meetings and they should be open to
  the public.
• Board needs to do a better job communicating
  with the community and doctors.
• Give a little more information on what theyre
  doing in the newspapers.
• Have more public meetings.
• Change the administration and board of
  directors.
• Put patient care first.
• Show visible signs of improvement.
• Settle the dispute with the doctors.
• Get on with building the new hospital.
• Attract a large number of good doctors.

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Roland MerbisVice President, Public Affairs 101
Yorkville Avenue, Suite 301 Toronto, Canada M5R
1C1 Tel [phone] / Fax [phone] www.poll
ara.com