Enhancing Pediatric Care: Using PREMs to Capture Children and Adolescents’ Healthcare Experiences

Abstract
Introduction
Patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) are valuable instruments for capturering patient feedback but often miss the perspectives of children and adolescents. Research indicates that parental proxies do not fully reflect children’s and adolescents’ experiences. The World Health Organization and other authorities emphasize the need to include youth in healthcare evaluations. This pilot study aimed to assess the practicality of using the PREM, titled “What do you think about the hospital? Help us get better” in a Danish Children and Adolescent Outpatient Clinic. The study focused on understanding the challenges and opportunities associated with using this instrument to gather feedback from children and adolescents on their healthcare experiences.
Methods
A total of 356 PREMs were collected and analyzed using thematic analysis and descriptive statistics. Thematic analysis identified patterns in openended responses, while descriptive statistics summarized key demographic variables such as age and gender. Data was systematically transferred to the REDCap database for accuracy, with oversight from the first author.
Results
The study found that PREM effectively captured valuable insights into the experiences of children and adolescents, highlighting key areas for improvement in pediatric care. The findings suggest that PREM can be a useful instrument for identifying gaps in communication and engagement, particularly among adolescents, and for fostering a greater sense of control over their healthcare.
Conclusions
This study shows that current PREM can provide meaningful assessments of child and adolescents experiences within the Danish healthcare system. While the findings are specific to the units involved, they suggest that PREM could be a valuable instrument in clinical practice for assessing and improving communication, care environments, and transitions for adult care. Further research in a broader range of settings is needed to confirm its applicability across different healthcare environments.
Clinical Relevance
Children’s and adolescents' feedback provides clinically relevant insights into areas for improvement in pediatric care, especially in communication, engagement, and the care environment. PREM could serve as a valuable instrument for ongoing feedback and continuous improvement in pediatric clinical practice.

Keywords: PREM, children, adolescents, patient experience, healthcare communication, transition to adult care, patient feedback.