The patient satisfaction is an increasingly important factor in healthcare providers’ quality of care. It even impacts clinical and business outcomes. Unfortunately, too many patients aren’t satisfied with the care they receive. And many healthcare providers are unaware that there’s a problem. Patient feedback is important for filling the gaps between patient and provider expectations. Well-designed and specific patient satisfaction survey questions can do just that. Patient satisfaction surveys can help you improve the patient experience.

In order to get actionable patient feedback, you must ask specific questions in your patient satisfaction survey. Your patient satisfaction survey must ask the right questions to get the right information. Take a cue from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) survey. Ask your patients questions on aspects of care only they can give you insights on.

Patient Satisfaction Survey Questions

How easy was it to schedule an appointment at our facility?

One of your priorities should be providing accessible healthcare to patients. Patients should be able to schedule an appointment easily. If you are getting a low patient satisfaction rating, consider changing the scheduling process. Your patients shouldn’t have to wait for months to see a provider. If this is the case, re-evaluate your staffing needs.

How long did you wait beyond your appointment time to be seen by a provider?

Appointment wait time is also a way to assess healthcare accessibility. Patient satisfaction falls the longer your patients have to wait beyond their appointment. Show your patients you value their time. If you are getting negative ratings in this question, work on improving inefficiencies in your scheduling or staffing process.

How satisfied are you with the cleanliness of our facility?

This question is equally important. Healthcare facilities are ripe with germy humans. And sick people get sicker if they are in unhealthy environments. Get patient feedback on what areas could do with improvements. Not only would you improve the quality of care you’ll also end up improving the patient experience.

How well do you feel the provider listened to your health concerns?

This patient satisfaction survey question assesses communication with providers and staff. People usually come to a healthcare provider when they think there’s a problem. And patients and their families are usually worried. When providers listen carefully, patients are reassured that essential information has been recorded. Listening to your patients goes a long way towards increasing their satisfaction with the care they received.

Please rate how thorough you feel the provider’s instructions for care were.

Clear, direct communication is an essential component of good patient experiences. Of all patient satisfaction survey questions, this one is important. It can help you understand how well your providers communicate with patients. Patients feel more confident and secure when they are given specific instructions for care. They are also more likely to think healthcare providers are competent.

How well do you feel the provider answered your questions?

Patients are increasingly involved in the healthcare they receive. Patients find healthcare providers who clearly communicate and answer their questions reassuring. They are more likely to have a positive patient experience. If you are getting low ratings for this patient satisfaction survey question, you need to work on this crucial component of the patient experience.

How would you rate the overall care you received from your provider?

The overall care that patients receive determines if they will come back to your healthcare facility. This includes the time and attention the staff provides to the patient. This patient satisfaction survey question assesses the quality of care. If your patients are giving you negative ratings, it’s time to find ways to improve the patient experience.  

How likely are you to recommend our facility to your friends and family?

This is a modification on the Net Promoter Score® (NPS®) question. Patients who have a positive patient experience at your facility are more likely to recommend you to others. And patient referrals are one of the best ways to get more patients. This question will help you assess patient loyalty. Use this patient feedback to improve the patient experience and get more new patients.

Healthcare & Patient Feedback Software to Analyze Patient Satisfaction

You can use a simple rating scale for patients to rate their satisfaction. Use a patient feedback software to create the survey, take feedback and analyze the results. You can benchmark patient satisfaction for your facility. Use your scores to compare yourself against other providers.

Analyze individual patient satisfaction questions to see ratings for specific aspects of care. Your healthcare feedback system can analyze the ratings and trends for a specific patient satisfaction survey question. This way you can see how satisfied patients are with specific aspects of care such as waiting time, time spent with a doctor, and more.

By using respondent tracking in your feedback app or software, you can track patient satisfaction for specific patients. Use that feedback to help make patient care personalized. You can also track patient satisfaction ratings over time to see how well individual patients are responding to changes. This is crucial for helping you improve the patient experience.

You can also track changes in satisfaction over time by analyzing multiple patient satisfaction surveys. You’ll be able to see a trend in patient satisfaction. Over time, your patient satisfaction scores should increase as you make changes to your facility.

Learn more about the Patient Satisfaction

• Best Ways to Use Patient Surveys

• Importance of Measuring Patient Satisfaction

• Difference between Patient Satisfaction and Patient Experience

• How to Measure Patient Satisfaction Using Patient Surveys?

• 3 Killer Strategies to get Patient Feedback