Understanding Health Through the Patient’s Perspective
The Perceived Health Questionnaire captures how people describe their own health, wellbeing, and daily functioning. As part of the OECD’s Patient-Reported Indicator Surveys (PaRIS), it helps measure whether primary care is improving outcomes that matter most to patients.
By combining patient-reported outcomes with patient experience and health system information, researchers gain a more complete understanding of primary care performance.
Why It Matters
Healthcare has traditionally been evaluated using clinical indicators such as hospitalizations, diagnoses, and mortality rates. While these measures are important, they do not fully reflect how people experience their health in everyday life.
The Perceived Health Questionnaire captures outcomes that only patients can report.
This reframes the central question:
Is primary care improving people’s health and quality of life?
What the Questionnaire Measures
The questionnaire captures several aspects of patient-reported health, including:
1
Overall Health
How patients rate their overall physical health and wellbeing.
2
Mental Health
Emotional wellbeing, resilience, and mental health status.
3
Daily Functioning
How health affects everyday activities, independence, and quality of life.
4
Social Wellbeing
The impact of health on relationships, participation, and social functioning.
Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs)
The Perceived Health Questionnaire uses Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) to understand the impact of care from the patient’s perspective.
PROMs measure outcomes that cannot be captured through clinical records alone, including physical health, mental wellbeing, functional ability, and overall quality of life.
Together with Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs), PROMs provide a more complete picture of primary care performance.