Patient Satisfaction In Hospitals: An Explainer With Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire
Table Of Contents:
- Introduction
- Key Factors Affecting Patient Satisfaction In Hospitals
- The Role Of Surveys In Improving Patient Satisfaction In Hospitals
- What Is A Patient Satisfaction Survey?
- Sample Patient Satisfaction Survey Questions To Improve Patient Satisfaction In Hospitals
- Digital Patient Satisfaction Surveys Can Boost The Patient Satisfaction In Hospitals
- Conclusion
Introduction
Providing a great patient experience is more important than ever for hospitals. Patient satisfaction surveys are very important tools in measuring and improving patient satisfaction in hospitals. This blog outlines the key factors influencing patient satisfaction in hospitals and some sample questions to measure and improve care delivery in these aspects.
Key Takeaways
- Patient satisfaction in hospitals is influenced by multiple aspects across the care journey
- Positive interactions with physicians and hospital staff can be a critical factor in influencing patient satisfaction in hospitals
- The right types of questions in a survey help in measuring and improving patient satisfaction in hospitals
- Digital patient surveys provide convenience to patients and increase the overall engagement rate
Key Factors Affecting Patient Satisfaction In Hospitals
Patient satisfaction in hospitals is impacted by a number of factors, which are described below.
Appointment Booking
Patient satisfaction in hospitals begins right after the patient’s first contact with the hospital. Hence hospitals should simplify the booking process and provide all the essential information to book appointments. Promptly and politely answering patients’ calls, sending timely appointment reminders, allowing patients to reschedule their appointments, quick check-ins, shorter waiting times, and effectively communicating every detail of their care process can have a strong influence on patient experience.
Hospital Environment
Healthcare cleanliness and overall hospital appearance can impact patient experience and their opinion of your healthcare facility. Focusing on organised patient OPD areas, clean floors, unstained surfaces, welcoming waiting rooms, refreshing in-patient rooms, and overall hygiene can facilitate patient comfort and can positively affect patient satisfaction in hospitals.
Interaction with Doctors and Staffs
Positive and respectful interactions with physicians and hospital staff can be a critical factor in influencing patient satisfaction in hospitals. Prioritising the patient experience becomes more important before providing quality care to the patients. Reason being, patients cannot accurately measure the care quality but they definitely report if they are not satisfied with the customer service.
Billing Process
Complicated medical bills and inconvenient billing processes can result in patient dissatisfaction. Hospital billing staff should clearly communicate the payment details to the patients and should be able to address their queries quickly. Streamlining the billing process by offering digital solutions for payments can help in reducing the patient’s frustration.
Discharge Process
Lack of instructions regarding the patient’s discharge process may lead to patients anxiety, which may produce unnecessary phone calls, affecting patient experience. Providing clarity on discharge processes can improve a patient’s ability to understand discharge instructions while ultimately improving patient satisfaction in hospitals.
The Role Of Surveys In Improving Patient Satisfaction In Hospitals
To measure patient satisfaction in hospitals, the most common practice is to capture and analyse patient feedback through conducting patient satisfaction surveys. Patient satisfaction surveys in hospitals help understand the patients’ perceptions of care and improve patient experience by meeting their expectations.
What is a Patient Satisfaction Survey?
Several factors influence patient satisfaction in hospitals, which is a complex process. A patient satisfaction survey includes multiple questions that allow patients to self report their experience across multiple touchpoints in a hospital.
Sample Patient Satisfaction Survey Questions To Improve Patient Satisfaction In Hospitals
Here are some examples of questions to include in a survey related to the key factors affecting patient satisfaction in hospitals.
Appointment Process
- Rate the convenience and ease of booking an appointment with your doctor
- How easy was it to arrange an appointment with our hospital?
Admission Process
- How would you rate the waiting time for the admission process?
- How well were your queries addressed at the admission center?
Doctors
- How well did the doctor explain the diagnosis and treatment?
- How would you assess the care and promptness of doctors in attending to your queries?
Nursing
- How well were you informed about the treatment and medication?
- Were you satisfied with the courtesy and compassion of the nursing staff?
Front Office
- How would you rate the time taken for your registration?
- Were you satisfied with communication & responses to your queries by front office staff?
Billing Department
- Were your bills transparent and easily understandable?
- How well were your insurance claims handled?
- Were you able to pay your bills easily?
Pharmacy
- How well were your queries answered at the pharmacy?
- How would you rate the billing process at the pharmacy?
- Were the prescribed medicines available at the pharmacy?
Housekeeping Facility
- How did you find the cleanliness standard of the room and surrounding areas?
- How often did housekeeping respond promptly to your needs?
Emergency Department
- Were you satisfied with the care of nurses in emergency services?
- Rate the ease of admission procedure in the emergency department?
Radiological Services
- Was the cost for the test informed prior to the investigation?
- Was patient privacy maintained throughout the investigation?
Overall Satisfaction
Referrals and positive word-of-mouth marketing from existing patients help in building a loyal patient base. Hence, a patient feedback form should always include questions related to overall patient satisfaction in hospitals. Here are some examples of such questions:
- How likely are you to choose this hospital for your care again?
- Your overall opinion about the services
- If you have been treated in this hospital before, how do you rate our current service level compared to your previous experience?
Digital Patient Satisfaction Surveys Can Boost The Patient Satisfaction In Hospitals
Traditionally, hospitals would conduct patient satisfaction surveys in paper form. However, paper survey forms come with several challenges, such as
- Low engagement rates
- The cost of using paper to the hospital and to the environment
- Difficulty in understanding handwritten responses
- Time-consuming
Hospitals can overcome this issue by conducting patient satisfaction surveys via patients’ preferred channels and at their convenient times. In particular, digital patient surveys provide convenience to patients and increase the overall engagement rate. Moreover, digital patient feedback forms allow for intelligent analysis and facilitate decision-making.
Conclusion
Patient satisfaction in hospitals is influenced by several factors, right from appointment to discharge. By leveraging the power of patient satisfaction surveys, hospitals can improve patient satisfaction scores thereby increasing the patient retention rate and overall revenues.
Best Surveys is an omnichannel patient feedback collection tool that assists in measuring patient satisfaction in hospitals. Among other things, it allows the collection of patient feedback through various channels such as SMS, Whatsapp, Weblink, IVR, On-premise tab application, and QR Code.
Click here to know more.
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Written By | Gayatri Vernekar
