Exploring factors influencing patient choice in outpatient ophthalmology provider in the North London region: A patient survey

Rishi Ramessur; Roxanne Crosby-Nwaobi; Claire Lovegrove; Julia Theodossiades; Rachel Thomas; Estelle Ioannidou; Radhika Rampat; Peter B M Thomas

doi:10.1136/bmjhci-2024-101360

Exploring factors influencing patient choice in outpatient ophthalmology provider in the North London region: A patient survey

Rishi Ramessur
, Roxanne Crosby-Nwaobi
, Claire Lovegrove
, Julia Theodossiades
, Rachel Thomas
, Estelle Ioannidou
, Radhika Rampat
, Peter B M Thomas

Research output: Book/Report › Other report

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To explore factors important to patients when choosing a secondary care provider.

METHODS: A survey was distributed to 376 participants at Moorfields Eye Hospital comprising both free-text responses and Likert scale elements. Word frequency analysis was applied to free-text responses, and K-means analysis to identify clusters from Likert responses.

RESULTS: Reputation, expertise, quality of care and clinical outcomes were the most important factors driving patient preference-more so than practicalities such as travel, ease of access, parking and proximity to healthcare provider. One of two identified clusters of patients appeared to place higher value on societal benefits (eg, sustainability, carbon footprint minimisation, cost-efficiency for National Health Service (NHS)) than the other.

DISCUSSION: The current NHS approach of highlighting travel distance, wait times and Care Quality Commission (CQC) ratings when presenting choice is inadequate to support informed choice of provider. Further work in a more representative cohort and exploration of real-world patient decisions is warranted.

Original language	English
Publisher	BMJ Publishing Group
Number of pages	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjhci-2024-101360
Publication status	Published - 29 Oct 2025

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

humans
ophthalmology
patient preference/statistics & numerical data
male
female
surveys and questionnaires
London
choice behavior
middle aged
quality of health care
adult
aged
outpatients/psychology
state medicine
health services accessibility

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10.1136/bmjhci-2024-101360Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY)

Cite this

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title = "Exploring factors influencing patient choice in outpatient ophthalmology provider in the North London region: A patient survey",

abstract = "OBJECTIVES: To explore factors important to patients when choosing a secondary care provider. METHODS: A survey was distributed to 376 participants at Moorfields Eye Hospital comprising both free-text responses and Likert scale elements. Word frequency analysis was applied to free-text responses, and K-means analysis to identify clusters from Likert responses. RESULTS: Reputation, expertise, quality of care and clinical outcomes were the most important factors driving patient preference-more so than practicalities such as travel, ease of access, parking and proximity to healthcare provider. One of two identified clusters of patients appeared to place higher value on societal benefits (eg, sustainability, carbon footprint minimisation, cost-efficiency for National Health Service (NHS)) than the other. DISCUSSION: The current NHS approach of highlighting travel distance, wait times and Care Quality Commission (CQC) ratings when presenting choice is inadequate to support informed choice of provider. Further work in a more representative cohort and exploration of real-world patient decisions is warranted.",

keywords = "humans, ophthalmology, patient preference/statistics \& numerical data, male, female, surveys and questionnaires, London, choice behavior, middle aged, quality of health care, adult, aged, outpatients/psychology, state medicine, health services accessibility",

author = "Rishi Ramessur and Roxanne Crosby-Nwaobi and Claire Lovegrove and Julia Theodossiades and Rachel Thomas and Estelle Ioannidou and Radhika Rampat and Thomas, \{Peter B M\}",

year = "2025",

month = oct,

day = "29",

doi = "10.1136/bmjhci-2024-101360",

language = "English",

publisher = "BMJ Publishing Group",

address = "United Kingdom",

}

TY - BOOK

T1 - Exploring factors influencing patient choice in outpatient ophthalmology provider in the North London region

T2 - A patient survey

AU - Ramessur, Rishi

AU - Crosby-Nwaobi, Roxanne

AU - Lovegrove, Claire

AU - Theodossiades, Julia

AU - Thomas, Rachel

AU - Ioannidou, Estelle

AU - Rampat, Radhika

AU - Thomas, Peter B M

PY - 2025/10/29

Y1 - 2025/10/29

N2 - OBJECTIVES: To explore factors important to patients when choosing a secondary care provider. METHODS: A survey was distributed to 376 participants at Moorfields Eye Hospital comprising both free-text responses and Likert scale elements. Word frequency analysis was applied to free-text responses, and K-means analysis to identify clusters from Likert responses. RESULTS: Reputation, expertise, quality of care and clinical outcomes were the most important factors driving patient preference-more so than practicalities such as travel, ease of access, parking and proximity to healthcare provider. One of two identified clusters of patients appeared to place higher value on societal benefits (eg, sustainability, carbon footprint minimisation, cost-efficiency for National Health Service (NHS)) than the other. DISCUSSION: The current NHS approach of highlighting travel distance, wait times and Care Quality Commission (CQC) ratings when presenting choice is inadequate to support informed choice of provider. Further work in a more representative cohort and exploration of real-world patient decisions is warranted.

AB - OBJECTIVES: To explore factors important to patients when choosing a secondary care provider. METHODS: A survey was distributed to 376 participants at Moorfields Eye Hospital comprising both free-text responses and Likert scale elements. Word frequency analysis was applied to free-text responses, and K-means analysis to identify clusters from Likert responses. RESULTS: Reputation, expertise, quality of care and clinical outcomes were the most important factors driving patient preference-more so than practicalities such as travel, ease of access, parking and proximity to healthcare provider. One of two identified clusters of patients appeared to place higher value on societal benefits (eg, sustainability, carbon footprint minimisation, cost-efficiency for National Health Service (NHS)) than the other. DISCUSSION: The current NHS approach of highlighting travel distance, wait times and Care Quality Commission (CQC) ratings when presenting choice is inadequate to support informed choice of provider. Further work in a more representative cohort and exploration of real-world patient decisions is warranted.

KW - humans

KW - ophthalmology

KW - patient preference/statistics & numerical data

KW - male

KW - female

KW - surveys and questionnaires

KW - London

KW - choice behavior

KW - middle aged

KW - quality of health care

KW - adult

KW - aged

KW - outpatients/psychology

KW - state medicine

KW - health services accessibility

U2 - 10.1136/bmjhci-2024-101360

DO - 10.1136/bmjhci-2024-101360

M3 - Other report

C2 - 41161730

BT - Exploring factors influencing patient choice in outpatient ophthalmology provider in the North London region

PB - BMJ Publishing Group

ER -

Exploring factors influencing patient choice in outpatient ophthalmology provider in the North London region: A patient survey

Abstract

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

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