Researchers in Florida found the top 6 factors for patient dissatisfaction for an Adult Primary Care Unit. The purpose of the research was to determine if a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model would improve patient satisfaction. Even though the study had mixed results, they uncovered fantastic information on the drivers of patient satisfaction.
547 patients responded to a patient satisfaction questionnaire created for use in Federally Qualified Community Health Centers. This questionnaire is thorough. It covers 29 factors which can be summarized as follows:
The study was organized as a before-after study, with about half the patients responding before the stated improvements, and about half of the patients after. By measuring improvements along each of the 29 factors, the researchers were able to attribute the drivers for patient dissatisfaction.
Over 50% of the cases where a patient was dissatisfied, the source of dissatisfaction can be traced to one of only six issues (in order):
All six major concerns driving patient dissatisfaction are rooted in wait time or poor telephone communication.
You can see the full chart here:
I’ve written before on 4 ways smart telephone triage can improve patient experience. Today we’ll look at some basic steps you can take in the office.
Given the many competing demands on a doctor’s time and on the clinic staff, it is not always possible to meet all patients’ expectations. Even when the clinic is running late, a recent survey of more than 5,000 patients in the US found simple things you can do to mitigate a patient’s dissatisfaction.
We at Keona Health believe that patient dissatisfaction is deeply tied to staff dissatisfaction. Your patients' experience is fractured because your staff experience is fractured. The patients have to wait and are confused because the processes your staff has to navigate are complicated and confusing. Smoothing out the check-in process would go a long way to reducing in-office wait times. Waiting for the test is exacerbated by the complexities in getting physician orders and financial prerequisites to the tests. If your telephone staff weren't navigating many responsibilities plus many software packages.
The advanced solutions involve digital transformation that starts with 3 steps:
READ STORIES OF HOW OUR CLIENTS TRANFORMED THEIR PRACTICE
SEE THE FULL STUDY RESULTS HEREHow have you been able to reduce patient frustration? I’d love to hear your thoughts at stephen@keonahealth.com.
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At Keona Health, we believe that relationships matter. We know that a clinic’s triage system can test a patient-doctor relationship, especially if a patient cannot easily get the help he or she is seeking. Keona Health offers healthcare software and automation solutions to ease the burden of telephone triage on medical practices and help medical professionals better communicate with patients.