Looking for answers? Ask the patients

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How often when staying at a hotel are guests asked to fill out a survey requesting input on the experience and the accommodations? Was the room clean? Did check-in go smoothly? How was room service?

In addition to empowering guests and showing them the hotel cares about them (certainly a good public relations posture to take)—as well as encouraging them to provide e-mail addresses so the hotel chain can send them information—the hotel is also looking for input from their guests so they can serve them better.

These kinds of surveys should not be limited to the hospitality industry. They are every bit as important in health care, which is why, for all of the above reasons, this is also a good approach to take with patients. Not only does it make them feel good that their optometrist thinks enough of them to ask their opinion, but it can also give the practice much-needed feedback from the people most important to the business.

Very often, if done properly, patient satisfaction surveys can be quite revealing. They can help provide ways to improve a practice and, ultimately, that will mean better care and happier patients. In addition, it lets patients and staff know the practice is looking for ways to improve.

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Begin the process by discussing the survey openly with staff. Look for their help in framing questions. Most important, get staff buy-in by explaining that the objectives behind the survey are to get a sense of how patients view the practice and then to organize projects around the survey's outcome in order to improve the practice—rather than to reprimand anyone or point fingers.

Focus the survey on the 3 key goals of any practice: providing quality care, offering accessible care, and treating patients with courtesy and respect. Remember, in the mind of a patient, convenience and interpersonal skills are every bit as important, if not more important, than competent eye care (which, for most, is viewed as a given). As such, questions need to focus on patient satisfaction with the level of care, the way they view how they are treated by the doctor and staff, and their ease in getting appointments.

Make sure the survey statements themselves are direct and easy to understand. Stay away from questions that cover too much ground (for example, Would you rate the staff as friendly?) or are overly biased (Would you agree that the equipment is technologically ahead of other practices in the area?). Try to focus on specific questions (Did the doctor provide a comprehensive examination?).

It is suggested that questions be answered on a 4- or 5-point scale from strongly agrees to strongly disagrees—as opposed to, say, yes/no, agree/disagree, or a more elaborate system. Make sure to use the same scale throughout so results can be compared. Seek patient response to any changes being considered; for example, would they be in favor of the practice staying open late 1 night a week (perhaps at the expense of shorter hours on another day), getting an electronic newsletter on new technologies, or seeing a trunk show every year on new frames.

In addition, include a couple of open-ended questions that allow the respondents to answer at length (for example, What is the one thing that you would want most to see improved in the practice?). While the scaled questions will allow the practice to come up with an average for each question, the open-ended questions will provide a more in-depth look at what patients are thinking.

Because this activity is not intended as an exercise to slap everyone on the back for a job well done, but rather an opportunity to get real feedback, make sure patients have the option to respond anonymously. This can be somewhat problematic with an e-mail survey, which is why a mail survey might work better. Should an e-mail survey be undertaken—after all, it is less expensive without the postage—assure patients that surveys will be printed out without any names attached to them (unless they prefer to include their name).

How many responses are necessary? Obviously, the more responses received, the more valid the survey. However, it is fair to say that even 30 to 50 responses should give a good indication.

Analyzing the data, of course, is key. Each question needs to be averaged—rather than putting all the “agree” and “strongly agree” responses together. This means if the scores for most of the questions average, say, a 4.5, and one question receives a 3.7, the patients have spoken loud and clear.

More than anything, however, it is important that the practice be prepared to act on the results of the surveys. If the word is that patients feel the receptionist needs to be more helpful in picking out frames, or if they believe the magazines in the waiting room need to updated, let them know that they are being heard.