QI in Action: Using Patient Voices to Drive Better Healthcare Outcomes

Mouwasat Hospital Jubail, Saudi Arabia, winner of the Sustainable Healthcare and Service Delivery category, ACHSI Quality Improvement Awards 2025.

As ACHS International (ACHSI) celebrates healthcare excellence worldwide, we are pleased to highlight achievements across our Member community. Mouwasat Hospital Jubail, part of Mouwasat Medical Services Company in Saudi Arabia, is a leading healthcare facility focused on high-quality, patient-centred care through innovation, excellence, and continuous improvement. 

In 2025, Mouwasat Hospital Jubail received the ACHS International Quality Improvement (QI) Award in the Healthcare Measurement category for its submission, 'Improving Safety, Quality and Efficiency of Care Through the Development of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs)’. The initiative showed how systematically collecting and analysing patient-reported outcomes can support clinical decisions, improve patient experiences, and drive measurable gains in the healthcare safety, quality, and efficiency. 

 

The Challenge 

Saudi Arabia's healthcare system is undergoing major reform under the Kingdom's Vision 2030 agenda, driven by rising chronic disease rates and increasing demand for healthcare services. Providers are being encouraged to measure outcomes that matter to patients while improving efficiency and sustainability. 

To support the shift towards integrated care, Mouwasat Hospital Jubail introduced Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) into routine  patient care. PROMs collects  information directly from patients about their health status, symptoms, wellbeing, and quality of life, giving clinicians insights that traditional clinical measures may not capture. 

The project team identified four objectives: 

• Improve population health  by preventing and better managing common, costly, and chronic diseases 

• Improve efficiency and reduce the cost of care 

• Improve patient experience, by engaging patients more actively in their own care 

• Improve provider satisfaction by giving staff tools and resources that reduce burden and burnout. 

The Solution 

The project began with a pilot in the hospital's diabetes service. A multidisciplinary team of clinical leaders, endocrinologists, quality improvement specialists, nursing staff and hospital executives was formed to design and oversee implementation. 

Using the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) methodology and Lean improvement principles, the team developed a structured process for collecting and using patient-reported data. Initially, patients completed paper-based questionnaires, allowing clinicians to better understand factors affecting patients' physical and emotional wellbeing and incorporate this information into treatment planning. 

Implementation revealed several challenges, including limited consultation times, manual data collection processes, staff training requirements, and difficulties analysing large volumes of paper-based information. Feedback from clinicians and patients also highlighted the need for a more efficient and accessible system. 

In response, the team redesigned the process and introduced digital technology, including QR code-enabled questionnaires that patients could complete electronically. This reduced administrative burden, streamlined data collection, improved access to information for clinicians during consultations, and enhanced the patient experience. The digital solution also enabled more efficient analysis of PROMs data and supported timely quality improvement actions. 

 

The Results 

The implementation of PROMs delivered significant benefits for patients, clinicians and the organisation. 

Key outcomes included: 

• Patient satisfaction increased from 79% to 84%. 

• The proportion of diabetic patients with poorly controlled HbA1c levels reduced to 20.5%. 

• Average length of stay for diabetic patients decreased from 5.2 days to 2.4 days. 

• Significant reductions in healthcare costs were achieved through improved disease management and reduced hospital utilisation. 

• The project also demonstrated how patient feedback can be integrated into routine care to support shared decision-making and improve the overall patient experience. 

Looking Ahead 

Following the pilot’s success, Mouwasat Hospital Jubail plans to expand PROMs across additional clinical priority areas. 

By embedding the patient's voice into care delivery and performance measurement, the hospital is helping to advance the transition towards value-based healthcare while ensuring patients remain at the centre of every decision. 

The project offers a practical example of how healthcare organisations can use measurement not only to assess performance, but to drive meaningful improvements in safety, quality, efficiency and patient outcomes. 

Read our Quality Initiatives Publication 2025 to view the full submission on page 68,) along with other outstanding projects from the 2025 QI Awards winners and highly commended recipients.    

Submissions are now open for the ACHS International Quality Improvement Awards 2026. Visit our website to learn more or apply.