Stages of Patient Frustration and Satisfaction

Elimination of patient frustrations in hospitals and health systems seems to be a constant battle. It is with no doubt that healthcare facilities or hospitals that focus on improving patient satisfaction gain much advantage over their competitors. One key to providing a better patient experience is the use of centralized patient access. It is important to offer self-scheduling as an option to lower patient frustrations such as getting confused, long patient wait time, shock due expected charges and getting transferred back and forth on a mobile phone.

In this article you will learn about the five stages of satisfaction as well as the corresponding five stages of frustration.

5 Stages of Patient Frustration

1.       Scared and confused- This is a stage where patients are unsure of what is expected of them.The doctor may refer a patient for a diagnostic test and the patient become confused and worried about his or her health and the entire referral process. The patient may be left asking questions such as:

·         What will my diagnosis be?

·         Whom should I call to address share with and address my issues?

·         What should I do next?

2.       Frustrated-This is the second stage of frustration where patients feel fully worried as they try to manage their care. Patients may stick on phones trying to multiple numbers and offices to get scheduled. Patients may ask themselves questions such as:

·         Why can’t I manage to get my care as easily as any other service? This question arises mainly when the cost of healthcare keep rising.

3.       Waiting- Waiting arises when patients are not given satisfactory information during the process of healthcare. In this stage, the patients are still worried and confused. Patients keep asking questions such as:

·         Why it takes so long for the hospital staff to schedule their tests?

·         Why can’t they get their care close to home?

·         What is the prior authorization for their care?

4.       Surprised- In this stage, patients are likely to get unwelcome surprises such as unexpected charges. In this stage, many patients get rescheduled since their budget has been tampered with.

5.       Angry- When patients experience this stage, they may prefer switching to other care providers. It is just a ridiculous stage where patients may prefer finding other providers who offers better services and cares about them.

5 Stages of Patient Satisfaction

1.       Reassured- This is a stage experienced by patents after they leave doctor’soffice with the right information on what is required next during their care process. Such information includes test scheduling, the facility to go for the test and the direction to the facility. At this point the patients are still scared but at least they have the plan at hand.

2.       Respected-This is the point where patients feel respected since their tests have been scheduled at their desired locations. This means they will use less time and cash when accessing their scheduled locations.

3.       Incontrol- Patients feel they are in control of their care when online scheduling resources and tools are used during their care. At that point they can use their smartphones, tablets or computers to reschedule or access the directions and instructions on ahead of time.

4.       Prepared- When patients get text messages as a reminder of their appointments, they feel completely prepared. With that, patients get no surprise on the rising bills. They as well ready for appointments since they have read the directions and instructions requiring them not to eat or drink anything before or on the day of their appointments.

5.       Empowered- Empowerment of a patient is the end result of a satisfactory healthcare experience. A satisfied patient will feel good and even take a step of telling his or her friend to go in the facility for care. Patients feel satisfied and empowered when:

·         Their tests were done on time

·         When their insurance was taken care of and the bills make sense

·         When a doctor gives a follow-up appointment and give results for the same

Ways to improve patient Satisfaction

The key to improving patient satisfaction is reducing patient wait time as it is the major cause of confusion and frustration. Below are some few strategies that can be used to improve patient satisfaction:

1.       Gathering patient information before appointment and scheduling

It is important for medical staff to gather patient history and insurance information when they schedule their appointments. It is also important to make sure that patient’s records and referrals are ready before the patient arrives. This is because collection of patient’s data and general office work takes time. To prevent delays all information required should be ready during the appointment date for an ideal patient satisfaction.

2.       Use secure messaging

HER system is a system that guarantees you secure messaging feature that is an alternative way of communicating important information to patients. Secure messaging decreases the number of calls and phone tags since it is difficult reaching patients at callback. EMR allows physicians to quickly and easily respond to patient queries which increase patient satisfaction.

3.       Have a mobile queue solution

Use of mobile queue tools is a better way to reduce patient wait time and make the patient happy. Some applications such as “Qless” can help patients join virtual lines and know their positions even before arriving at the hospital.

4 conduct a survey to know the cause of frustration

A survey that tracks patient timeline from arrival to departure is important as it is hard to know where your daily schedule is running. Knowing how long patients spend in exam room or reception and how long patients take to see a doctor can give a way to getting the solution. This can also show the patients that you value their time.

4.       Telehealth Solutions

Telehealth solutions such as eVisit can help gather patient information and also prevent late arrivals. Virtual treatment can as will give proper satisfaction for patients as they are accessed on their homes.

The Bottom Line

Many people will not follow these as stages since many times patients do not necessarily have to follow them during health care. It is therefore better to describe them as patient’s emotions or patient’s states. This article clearly explains patient’s emotions as either bad or good. This information is useful for patients and healthcare providers as it can help one see where to move.