In order to create a better experience for your patients, you need to understand what their care experience was like. This is where survey collection comes in. Learning about your patient’s needs, experiences, and whether they need additional assistance can go a long way in providing optimal care in your facility.
In-Person Interview
A common method for survey collection is speaking to a patient face-to-face. There are many benefits to this type of survey. For example, you can watch for cues in their body language to determine whether or not there is more than they are sharing.
However, this type of survey does have a major downfall… Although there are many people who will be straightforward and tell you exactly what is wrong (or right) with their care, there are also other patients who do not feel comfortable telling a provider to their face what they need help with or the quality of their care. This can lead to an inaccurate description of the provider’s care and how the patient is doing.
Paper Surveys
Many facilities still utilize mailed questionaries for survey collection. This is a decent option for collecting data on your patients because it gives them time to work on a detailed survey in the comfort of their own homes and they are usually sent out after they have been home for a certain period of time. However, there are still some issues with this method.
One big issue is that many people do not take the time to fill out and send back these paper surveys. This is a more time-consuming method for busy individuals. Additionally, if they do get around to filling out the surveys, it may be much later… even weeks after their time in your facility. This can lead to inaccurate descriptions of the care and you would be unable to catch any misunderstandings in time.
While paper surveys can still be used, you should also use another method of survey collection to ensure the most accurate data.
Interviewing Over the Phone
For a personal touch, you could use phone interviews to collect data on your patient’s visit. While this adds in the benefits of a quick turnaround time and connection with your patients, this is another instance where patients may not be totally up front with their care because they are speaking directly to a person, even if it wasn’t their actual provider.
You can also use phones to send simple surveys, like Net Promoter Scores(TM) (NPS) via SMS text, and capture immediate results. Or, for more complex surveys with the same quick response, consider sending survey links to mobile devices with a link to an online, digital survey.
Digital Surveys
Digital and online surveys are by far the best survey collection tool you can use in your facility. This is the case for many reasons.
For example, the National Business Research Institute explains that this method of data collection has a much higher response rate than the other options and a faster response time.
Because the response time and rate are higher than other methods, you are also much more likely to identify patients in need of follow-up support. This can help you clear up patient misunderstandings and reduce readmissions later on.
Because of the clear benefits of digital and online surveys, Notivate Health has incorporated an application to allow your facility to quickly reach your patients through satisfaction surveys. These surveys allow you to receive actionable feedback, maintain your reputation, and track results easily between locations, providers, departments, etc.
Creating a Better Experience for Your Patients
If you want to improve patient-provider relationships, you need to understand what your patients need. This is where satisfaction surveys come in. By using an online survey collection method, you can send out post-discharge surveys within hours of your patient leaving the facility, giving you the upper hand in patient experience and facility reputation.
If you want to learn more about Notivate’s platform and how its survey application can benefit your facility, request a demo today.
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