Survey of Cayman Islands physicians and dentists available on Office of the Auditor General website

In conducting the work for the two health care reports made public today, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) conducted a survey of physicians and dentists in the Cayman Islands. The report summarizing the results of this work is now available on the OAG website for the public to access.

More information can be obtained by contacting the Office of the Auditor General at (345) 244-3201.

SURVEY OF PHYSICIANS AND DENTISTS

In January 2017, the Office of the Auditor General of the Cayman Islands (OAG) issued two reports related to health care. To inform the performance audit, the audit team decided to obtain information from private sector health care practitioners through the use of a survey.Between March 15th and April 15th, 2016, the OAG invited physicians and dentists to complete an online survey. The purpose of the survey was to obtain the physicians’ and dentists’ perspectives on what works and what needs to be improved in the health care system in the Cayman Islands.

The survey link was distributed to physicians and dentists through three groups – the Cayman Islands Medical and Dental Society, the Health Services Authority and the Cayman Islands Medical and Dental Council. The information in the survey was gathered anonymously and was used only by the OAG to identify areas of interest or concern that we investigated further in the detailed analysis phase of the performance audit work and to identify future audit topics. A copy of the survey questions is included in Appendix 1 of this report.

Summary of Survey Respondents

The following outlines the number of responses and comments we received in the survey:

• 147 individuals started the survey

• 101 completed the survey • There were on average 82 responses to each radio-button question • There were 513 individual comments submitted in the comment boxes and open-ended

questions

Of the 101 completed surveys, the survey respondents identified themselves as working in the following parts of the health care system:

• 63 working primarily in private sector practices
• 29 working primarily in public sector practices (has)
• 2 working in both the public and private sectors
• 5 identified as working in other sectors
• 1 identified as being retired
• 1 response was on behalf of an association group of practitioners

Of the 101 completed surveys, the respondents identified themselves as in the following professions:

• 75 Physicians (22 GPs and 53 specialists)
• 21 Dentists
• 2 Health Practice Administrators
• 1 Mental Health professional

1 Nursing professional

Highlights of the Survey Results

Aspects of the health care system that were rated as predominately good, very good or excellent included:

– – – –

Overseas referrals Private primary care Private acute outpatient care Dental care

Aspects of the health care system that were rated as predominately fair or good included:

– – – –

Access to care on evenings and weekends Acute care emergency services Public acute inpatient care Private acute inpatient care

Aspects of the health care system that received mixed reviews ranging from good to needs improvements included:

– – – –

Public primary care Public acute outpatient care Mental health care Palliative and end-of-life care

Areas of the health care system that were identified as predominately needing improvements included:

– – – – –

Affordability Insurance reimbursement Payment collections Home and community care Long-term care for seniors

In addition to the above results, of the 513 comments received from survey participants, the top five comment categories were:

• Insurance (84 comments)
• Health human resources (49 comments)
• Standards of care (44 comments)
• Licensing (41 comments)
• Wellness (41 comments)

Finally, the four most frequently submitted comments were as follows:

1. Licensing qualifications must be the same for all physicians including those at HCCI (39 mentions)

2. Establish and maintain standards in quality of care (35 mentions)
3. Increase wellness education for the public (29 mentions)
4. CINICO patients should have equal access to all physicians (public and private) (24 mentions)

The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) of the Cayman Islands is the “watchdog” of public spending in the Cayman Islands. The OAG carries out its duties on behalf of the Legislative Assembly and ultimately the people of the Cayman Islands. By reporting the results of our audits to the Legislative Assembly, we help hold government and public bodies to account for the way they use public money, thereby safeguarding the interests of citizens. In addition, our work aims to help public service managers improve performance and service delivery.

The OAG is conducting a Performance Audit of the Cayman Islands Health System. A performance audit is different from a financial audit in that we look at how well government delivers its programs and services as directed by the Legislative Assembly, focusing on economy, efficiency and effectiveness (value- for-money).

As health care providers in the Cayman Islands, you are key contributors to and stakeholders in the Cayman Islands health care system. Your perspectives on what works well and what needs to be improved in the health care system are valuable inputs to our performance audit.

The information in this survey is being gathered anonymously and will be used only by the OAG to identify areas of interest or concern that we may investigate further in the detailed analysis phase of the performance audit work.

There are 6 questions in the survey and we anticipate that is will take between 10 and 15 minutes for you to complete the full survey. THANK YOU for taking the time to inform this important performance audit.

The report is available under Reports / Performance Audit Reports. at www.auditorgeneral.gov.ky