Validating a codesigned paediatric patient reported experience measure: a study protocol

Introduction Patient reported experience measures (PREMs) are important tools to include the voices of patients in healthcare provision. Children have a right to be included in decisions made about their care. A self-reported, locally validated and standardised paediatric PREM (pPREM) does not exist for use in Australian healthcare settings. Further, existing pPREMs are rarely codesigned with children or developed to be completed by children themselves. This study aims to validate a pPREM that will be completed by children within Australian healthcare settings. Methods and analysis This study will involve three subphases, engaging children aged 6-11 years old who have had a hospital admission in the past 3 months. First, up to 25 children will participate in cognitive interviews to pilot test pPREM items. Using feedback from the interviews, population testing will occur with about 180 children at six Australian hospitals to determine the validity, reliability and feasibility of the pPREM. The study's implementation process will be evaluated through interviews with approximately 25-30 clinicians, managers and other stakeholders.