Learning from complaints in healthcare: a realist review of academic literature, policy evidence and front-line insights (February 2020)

Summary

This paper, published by BMJ Quality & Safety, looks at the global rise in patient complaints which has been accompanied by growing research to effectively analyse complaints for safer, more patient-centric care. Most patients and families complain to improve the quality of healthcare, yet progress has been complicated by a system primarily designed for case-by-case complaint handling. 

If healthcare settings are better supported to report, analyse and use complaints data in a standardised manner, complaints could impact on care quality in important ways. This review has established a range of evidence-based, short-term recommendations to achieve this.