Patient Satisfaction Surveys

by Keith Borglum

Patient Satisfaction Surveys - A Look In The Mirror

We are judged by our appearance. This is true for physical appearance, attitudes and behaviors. We also know that appearances can be deceiving, and often the poorest objective judge of one's own appearance is oneself.

It is also unusual for those around us to give unsolicited criticism about need for improvement. Emily Post advises against it as impolite. As an example, most persons, when receiving poor service or bad food at a restaurant don't complain. What they do is warn their friends and refuse to return.

The same thing happens to your practice. Your patients, when dissatisfied with something, tell their friends, maybe tell your staff, but rarely tell you. Meanwhile you proceed, blissfully unaware of any problem and the patient remains unsatisfied.

A solution to the dilemma is to ask your patients for advice and feedback. They are usually pleased to be solicited for their opinions, especially from their family physician who so often provides them care. They want to be heard, both about the negative and the positive. We often find a 50% or better response rate in family practices to a survey, plenty for a statistically relevant sample.

This doesn't mean patients will tell you, the physician, directly and verbally what bothers them. Nor would they risk the wrath of any of your staff persons by complaining about them in a way that the staff person could find out and possibly retaliate. We have found in numerous trials that certain controls yield the best quantitative, qualitative and honest response. They are:

1. Use a written survey, one page, with a series of graded responses, starting with easy questions and getting more serious. Allow open questions for patients to express themselves. Allow anonymous response.

2. Have the doctors hand the patient the survey with a stamped envelope addressed to "Survey Results" at an address other than the office.

3. Hand the survey to the next 1-200 patients without discrimination.

4. Have someone other than staff open and review the results to avoid "editing".

You will be pleased at how many positive and supportive comments you will receive from patients, but that is a side benefit of the process. What you want to really focus on are those complaints addressed by more than one patient. Actively listen to what your patients are trying to tell you and try to read between the lines if necessary. Remember when assigning value to their comments that it is the context of the delivery of your care that patients recognize and respond to. They have no ability to recognize brilliant clinical judgment or procedural skill.

There are two follow up actions to consider. The first and obvious one is to correct the weaknesses and problems that have become apparent. The second is to take this opportunity to communicate to your patients that you appreciate and value their input and notify them that you are making specific changes in response. A general letter to them or an article in your practice newsletter are excellent communication vehicles.

Reprinted with permission from CALIFORNIA MDs BUSINESS ADVISOR.

Author Keith Borglum is a consultant and medical practice appraiser with Professional Management and Marketing, 3468 Piner Road, Santa Rosa California 95401.

Keith is one of the few consultants in America to be accepted as a member of all of the following; the Institute of Business Appraisers, National Association of Healthcare Consultants, Society of Medical Dental Management Consultants (90-94), American Medical Association's Doctors Advisory Network, American Academy of Family Physician's Network of Consultants, and the American College of Physicians Managed Care Advisory Consultant Network.

Phone 1-800-79-CONSULT for consulting and appraisal information.

Permission is granted to reprint or quote any portion of this article provided that the author, firm, phone and city are named and two copies of the quoting journal are immediately mailed to the author at 3468 Piner Road, Santa Rosa CA 95401.