Building Patient Satisfaction Surveys for Your Practice
February 28, 2018
Using patient satisfaction surveys is a great way to gain feedback about your practices performance. Survey templates can be any combination of short and long responses designed to elicit feedback from patients about specific components of their experience. By building custom patient surveys with questions specific to your practice, you can gain detailed insight into each function and service provided by your practice staff.
Obtaining numerical results from surveys is critical for tracking progress. Most questions should be answered using a number scale to rank a patient's level of satisfaction or how strongly they agree or disagree. Whether a four, five or ten-point scale, answers will be a range of options from 10- “strongly agree” to 1- “strongly disagree” or 10- "very satisfied" to 1- "very dissatisfied". Whatever scale you choose to best suit your practices survey, be sure to consistently use the same numerical scale so survey results can easily be compared and tracked over time. Including a few open-ended questions in your survey will give patients a chance to elaborate on their responses and give more detailed insights.
Allowing patients to take surveys anonymously improves the chances of getting unbiased feedback from them. Giving them the ability to do so at their convenience improves the chances of getting a response.
The type of questions you ask should reflect all aspects of the patient’s experience with your practice. From setting the appointment to interaction with front office staff to the type of care provided by the physician and all the factors in between. This will help you determine the strengths and weaknesses existing within your practice. Being able to pin-point certain problem areas leads to a quick resolution and ultimately another step you've taken to continue improving your patient's satisfaction.
The types of questions asked should be some variation of the sample questions below:
- How was the quality of care you received during your appointment?
- Were there any issues scheduling your appointment?
- Was the practice staff helpful and friendly (hospitable/accommodating)?
- Did your appointment start on time?
- Were you comfortable in the lobby during your wait time?
- Were all of your questions and concerns addressed in a way you could understand?
- Overall, how satisfied were you with your visit?
Surveys can also be customized to a certain procedure, physician or medical treatment provided. While giving patients the ability to respond to surveys anonymously, it is also important to include a section to track demographic trends. Since patients will be providing private information, it’s critical to make sure the vendor you choose to host your survey is HIPAA compliant.
HIPAA Complaint Vendor Options:
Check out the sample template we’ve put together with some example questions:
Patient Satisfaction Example Survey Template
Additional Resources:
CAHPS Clinical & Group Surveys (AHRQ.gov)
- Patient Satisfaction Survey Example
- Measuring Patient Satisfaction: How to Do It and Why to Bother