Table 2 Summary of theme, feedback and recommendations

Capturing experience data

PPIE contributors liked the fact the proposed FFT question is short and focused

PPG (site C2) thought inserting text to indicate the length of survey to encourage people to complete it might be useful

PPIE contributors liked the use of traffic light colours to capture emotional feedback via the response scale. Some contributors with MSK preferred an alternative visual system (e.g. traffic lights to signal warnings) to emoticons, as it was explained how patients experience pain to touch screen

Researchers should keep the FFT questions short by only enhancing the free text question

Researchers should should show the start and finish of the survey by inserting buttons at the bottom of the screen on the digital interface

Researchers might keep the traffic light colours with emoticons via the digital interface, to observe people’s reactions to the enhancement

PPIE contributors felt being able to record one good experience and one bad experience was a new idea; it was agreed that people would need prompting somehow to do this

Researchers should place text to prompt positive and negative feedback in the free text FFT question and add examples in brackets to help elicit critical feedback by sentiment

Enhancing digital or non-digital tools

PPIE contributors liked the idea of typing on an iPad touch screen with self-standing kiosk but thought this might not be a suitable feedback method on its own, a suite of tools would enable a preferred way of providing experience data

PPIE contributors thought text messages might be useful to test alongside kiosk method as a quick feedback tool; PPI MSK contributors warned timings of these text messages would be crucial to avoid unsettling people

PPIE contributors felt that the URL to a site-specific website might be useful if linked to appointment feedback, maybe via a text message

PPIE contributors with SMI felt having a face-to-face discussion to a trusted person might be a preferred alternative to feedback verbally for those patients and carers who had concerns over using other feedback methods

PPIE contributors described the importance of having pen and paper available as an essential non-digital tool

Researchers should offer a suite of tools to cater for preferences, to encourage those patients and carers who might not have previously given feedback using paper to use the new tools:

 digital self-standing kiosk via iPad touchscreen (sites a, b OPT, c1–2)

 text message (site c2, site a, c1 texts were disabled during study period)

 URL to a site-specific website (sites a, c1–2)

 dedicated phone line* (site b CMHT)

 face-to-face discussion via their care coordinator (site b CMHT)

 pen and paper leaflet, or a postcard (sites a–c)

Ensuring privacy and confidentiality

PPIE contributors reached consensus that the location of the new kiosk was important to get right to encourage participation, this needed to be a relatively private location, a separate room or cubicle would be best

Researchers should consider implementing: staff and volunteer roles, feedback time, environment, privacy concerns, especially with the kiosk and iPad, and home visits were all equally considered when deciding the tools to test out and where to place these to ensure privacy and confidentiality, as far as possible:

 digital self-standing kiosk via iPad touchscreen placed in reception area of GP practice and outpatient clinics (sites a, b outpatients only, c1-2)

 text message (site c2; site a, c1 texts were disabled during study period) enabled via Practice Manager

 URL to site-specific website (sites a, c1-2) sent via text message and placed in PPG newsletter, toolkit flyer and website

 dedicated phone line, safeguard issues were raised by site b CMHT staff*

 face-to-face discussion with care coordinator during home visits, to capture experience data using an iPad, and documented in a dedicated field of current system (site b CMHT)

Co-design of a suite of tools with guidance

PPIE contributors thought a colourful poster would be the most effective way to advertise the use of the new tools in all sites

PPG C2 gave examples of positive and negative experience data to include on the first iteration of the poster on the premise data would be replaced with real-time data captured by the new tools

Contributors advised that the poster and other guidance to advertise the new tools would need to be near the kiosk; PPG C1 contributor suggested we might use an arrow pointing to the new tools; PPG C2 contributors felt that the new tools would need promoting by a volunteer on site

Researchers should consider using to posters, large and small, co-designed with the PPIE group, to the requirements of each site (a, b outpatients, c1–c2); the toolkit guidance should be tailored to each site as follows:

 show both positive and negative feedback kiosk data;

 researchers should refresh the data to avoid posters looking static, to correspond with the new feedback reports for staff (sites a, b outpatients, c1–c2);

 increase the size of the poster from A4 to A0 where possible and use an arrow to advertise the tools

 volunteers on site, where possible, to promote the use of the tools (sites c2, b OPT)