Evaluation to Quality Improvement: Using Patient Experience Surveys and Interviews at a Mutual-Aid Clinic

Mutual-aid clinics are a unique health care model that center patient participation and integrate social determinants of health interventions. However, such clinics can often lack structured mechanisms to capture patient feedback, and there is limited evidence on how patients experience mutual-aid models. Manor Free Clinic, located outside of Austin, TX, follows a mutual-aid model and provides free monthly primary care to uninsured patients. To assess patient satisfaction and clinic experiences, an anonymous bilingual (English/Spanish) paper survey and opt-in qualitative interview was administered at visit completion over four clinic sessions. Descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis summarized patient responses. The findings demonstrate that mutual-aid clinics are highly effective in care delivery, seen by the overwhelmingly positive perceptions of the clinic’s structure and services. The study will inform targeted changes, supporting the use of a mixed-methods approach to quality improvement in mutual-aid clinics.