Transforming Patient Experience Through Compassionate Connection Program in Primary Healthcare Centers
1
Health Care Delivery, Jeddah Health Cluster, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Compassionate communication is a fundamental component of patient-centered care and has been consistently associated with improved patient outcomes. ¹ Patients frequently identify compassion and attentive communication as key determinants of their healthcare experience, strongly linking these attributes to perceived quality of care and overall satisfaction. ² Despite increasing emphasis on patient-centered communication, persistent gaps remain in empathy, active listening, and the development of therapeutic relationships within primary healthcare centers (PHCs). This project aimed to enhance patient experience across PHCs through the implementation of the compassionate connection program.
METHODS:
A 12-month quality improvement initiative was implemented across primary healthcare centers using the ADKAR organizational change framework. The intervention incorporated six domains: staff training, patient partnership, leadership rounds, employee recognition, work environment optimization, and continuous quality improvement. Training was delivered through a five-hour interactive workshop inspired by the Disney Excellence Model and adapted to the healthcare context. Patient experience outcomes were assessed using the Press Ganey Patient Experience Survey, supplemented by qualitative patient narratives and Google reviews.
RESULTS:
Data from 1,985 patients demonstrated an improvement in overall patient experience scores, increasing from 79% at baseline to 86% at 12 months. Communication-related domains showed substantial gains, including nursing communication (82.5% to 91%), physician communication (81.4% to 90%), and laboratory communication (81.8% to 90%). Patient perceptions of privacy and safety improved by 6.6% (82.9% to 89.5%), while satisfaction with registration and waiting time increased from 73.6% to 84.4%. Public trust also improved, reflected by an increase in Google Review ratings from 2.6 to 3.0.
CONCLUSIONS:
The compassionate connection program resulted in significant improvements in patient experience across multiple care pathways. These findings reinforce the value of relationship-centered communication as an effective and scalable strategy for advancing patient-centered care in primary healthcare settings within the Saudi healthcare system.
Compassionate communication is a fundamental component of patient-centered care and has been consistently associated with improved patient outcomes. ¹ Patients frequently identify compassion and attentive communication as key determinants of their healthcare experience, strongly linking these attributes to perceived quality of care and overall satisfaction. ² Despite increasing emphasis on patient-centered communication, persistent gaps remain in empathy, active listening, and the development of therapeutic relationships within primary healthcare centers (PHCs). This project aimed to enhance patient experience across PHCs through the implementation of the compassionate connection program.
METHODS:
A 12-month quality improvement initiative was implemented across primary healthcare centers using the ADKAR organizational change framework. The intervention incorporated six domains: staff training, patient partnership, leadership rounds, employee recognition, work environment optimization, and continuous quality improvement. Training was delivered through a five-hour interactive workshop inspired by the Disney Excellence Model and adapted to the healthcare context. Patient experience outcomes were assessed using the Press Ganey Patient Experience Survey, supplemented by qualitative patient narratives and Google reviews.
RESULTS:
Data from 1,985 patients demonstrated an improvement in overall patient experience scores, increasing from 79% at baseline to 86% at 12 months. Communication-related domains showed substantial gains, including nursing communication (82.5% to 91%), physician communication (81.4% to 90%), and laboratory communication (81.8% to 90%). Patient perceptions of privacy and safety improved by 6.6% (82.9% to 89.5%), while satisfaction with registration and waiting time increased from 73.6% to 84.4%. Public trust also improved, reflected by an increase in Google Review ratings from 2.6 to 3.0.
CONCLUSIONS:
The compassionate connection program resulted in significant improvements in patient experience across multiple care pathways. These findings reinforce the value of relationship-centered communication as an effective and scalable strategy for advancing patient-centered care in primary healthcare settings within the Saudi healthcare system.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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