Patient-Reported Indicator Surveys (PaRIS)

Family Doctors at the Forefront of Change:

Transforming Healthcare with the Results from the Patient-Reported Indicator Surveys (PaRIS)

By Candan Kendir and Angel Gonzalez
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Caring for People with Chronic Conditions Becomes the Norm Rather Than the Exception in the Daily Routine of Family Doctors

Family doctors are challenged with delivering high-quality safe care to their populations, regardless of their age, sex, chronic conditions or sociodemographics. The global rise in chronic conditions is being driven by the demographic transition, evolving health behaviours, and the successes of public health and healthcare in extending life expectancy. As a result, addressing the needs of people with chronic conditions has become a critical priority for healthcare systems, with the scale of this challenge set to grow significantly in the coming decades. Chronic conditions are widespread in primary care, requiring more time investment, and place considerable strain on family doctors and primary care.

The OECD’s Patient-Reported Indicator Surveys (PaRIS) initiative focuses on care experiences and health outcomes of people with chronic conditions, who are managed in primary care.

With millions of patients with chronic conditions worldwide relying on family doctors, insights on their care experiences and health outcomes can help improve care delivery and optimize healthcare policies. However, for far too long, a key element has been missing in guiding healthcare systems—the voice of the patient.

While patient-reported experience and outcome measures (PREMs and PROMs) have been used in various settings, their application has often been inconsistent, limited to specific conditions, and rarely comparable across countries. The OECD’s PaRIS initiative aims to bridge this gap by assessing whether patients truly thrive, shifting the focus of healthcare performance from traditional metrics such as mortality, morbidity, hospital admissions, and number of screenings, to people-centred outcomes like well-being and healthcare experiences. PaRIS highlights how healthcare impacts patients across multiple dimensions, including physical and mental health, as well as their ability to fulfil social roles, offering valuable insights into how primary care services are delivered, regardless of gender, income, or education.

Family Doctors Play a Pivotal Role in Empowering Patients

Family doctors play a pivotal role in empowering patients to manage their health by involving them in decision-making and supporting them to actively manage their conditions. Although most people with chronic conditions regularly consult healthcare through their family doctors, they live with their conditions 24/7 in their own environments. This requires continuous self-management, which can be overwhelming without adequate support. Family doctors are in a unique position to provide ongoing guidance and support, which is crucial for enhancing both the physical and emotional well-being of these patients. This support might include personalised advice on making informed lifestyle choices, helping patients manage medications effectively, monitor symptoms, or adjust their care plans when necessary.

PaRIS answers key questions...

PaRIS offers valuable insights into the family doctor-patient relationship by exploring key aspects. Do people with chronic conditions report better care experiences when the scheduled time for regular or follow-up consultations are longer? Do people report better quality of care when they have been with the same primary care professional for longer?

PaRIS Answers Key Questions About What Really Matters to Patients and Their Primary Care Professionals:

• How do health outcomes and care experiences of people with multiple chronic conditions vary? How are these different from people with one chronic condition?
• How do outcomes and experiences vary across gender, education and income groups?
• Do people with chronic conditions experience their primary care as person-centred?
• Do people with chronic conditions trust the healthcare system and their healthcare professional? How does trust vary across different primary care practices?
• Which primary care characteristics are linked to better health outcomes and care experiences?

PaRIS also brings results about the effectiveness and accessibility of doctor-patient communication, examining whether primary care professionals leverage digital tools to improve communication. These tools include remote options like video consultations or messaging platforms that facilitate interaction between patients and healthcare professionals. These factors will help us understand how primary care adapts to meet patients' needs in an increasingly digital, people-centred environment.

Family Doctors Are Driving the Change for a People-Centred Primary Care Future

Family doctors are driving the change for a people-centred primary care future. PaRIS provides useful tools to do that.

Several family doctors participated in the design, development and implementation of PaRIS at international and national levels, bringing the perspectives of family doctors. See some examples here in a previous WONCA News. In addition, many more advised on the results and shared their practice examples, ensuring that the results were relevant to the reality of family doctor’s practice.

The OECD’s PaRIS initiative offers an unparalleled opportunity for family doctors to shape people-centred healthcare systems. Family doctors are crucial in transforming healthcare systems to better meet the needs of people living with chronic conditions. By leveraging PaRIS results, family doctors can build a more patient-centred primary healthcare system—one where the voice of the patient is not just heard but becomes the driving force behind better care and better health outcomes.

Want to Hear More About It?

Do not miss out the launch of the PaRIS flagship report on 20 February 2025 (in Lisbon and online), where key questions in primary care will be answered from the perspectives of patients!

Register now: Launch of the Patient-Reported Indicator Surveys flagship report

Visit the PaRIS website to read more about PaRIS and to access the technical and background documents.