7 Tips for Improving the Patient Experience in Healthcare

What could be more critical in a medical situation than each patient's survival and recovery? Despite what many healthcare providers may believe, the patient experience is just as important as the result.

This article will delve into the patient experience and how your facility can offer patient-centered care to benefit both the patient and the facility.

What Is Patient Experience?

The patient experience involves every step of an individual’s journey in receiving medical care, starting from the moment they reach out to a provider and ending with the final insurance processing and payment. This includes every touchpoint in between—such as the quality of care they receive, the quality of the facility, communication with the staff, waiting times in the facility, the process of setting an appointment, follow-up during recovery, and more.

As defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, "patient experience encompasses the range of interactions that patients have with the healthcare system, including their care from health plans, and from doctors, nurses, and staff in hospitals, physician practices, and other healthcare facilities."

Therefore, the importance of the patient experience lies in how said process impacts healthcare outcomes, hospital readmission rates, and the patients' loyalty to refer back to the health provider for future situations for themselves, family, or acquaintances. 

Patient Experience Examples

Take this hypothetical scenario for example: a man fell and broke his leg. Immediately after the injury, he sought medical care. Let's take a look at some of the main steps involved in his patient experience:

1. Seek Medical Care: Upon arrival at the Emergency Room (ER), he is asked to share personal information, including the circumstances of his injury and medical history, including pre-existing conditions and current medications.
2. Assessment: The doctor performs a proper physical examination and requests tests to determine the severity of the fracture and make a precise diagnosis. Before sending the patient for X-rays, the doctor discusses the potential treatment options available to soothe the patient. 
3. Diagnosis: The nursing staff guides the patient through getting his X-rays and other tests, which helps by providing him with information and reassurance while navigating the hospital's care plan and waiting times required for the results. 
4. Treatment: The fracture does not require surgery once the results are in. Treatment includes a cast to immobilize the patient's leg and pain management techniques to give the patient more comfort. 
5. Recovery: Before discharge, the patient receives instructions on caring for his cast, a list of activities to avoid, physical therapy recommendations to aid recovery and rehabilitation, and timeframes for follow-up appointments to check his progress. 
6. Follow-up: The patient can schedule his physical therapy and follow-up visits online, and the healthcare facility provides a confirmation system to help him keep track of each visit.

At every step, the hospital staff engages the patient with respect and compassion to monitor his condition and assess his emotional and mental well-being, offering support and resources to the patient.

Patient Experience vs Patient Satisfaction

You will notice that the healthcare industry regularly refers to patient satisfaction and patient experience. Often, people confuse these terms, believing their meaning is the same. 

If you take a closer look at the previous patient experience example, you will see that we mentioned all the touchpoints a patient has with a clinician and how they care for and service them. 

Meanwhile, patient satisfaction revolves around how the patient perceives the attention. The difference between these terms can be lost unless we consider that two patients can live through the same process—or experience—and have different feelings about it. 

The Importance of the Patient Experience

Why is it so crucial for you to consider patient experience in healthcare? Here are some of the reasons facilities benefit from it:

• Higher Patient Satisfaction: The happier your patients are, the more likely they are to follow treatment instructions, communicate with their medical team, and achieve full recovery. 
• Improves Reputation: The better your patients' outcomes, the more likely they will return to or recommend your services, increasing your reputation in the market and patient retention. 
• Engaged Staff: If you create healthcare plans, guidance, and resources for your staff to navigate the optimal patient experience, their performances will improve, and you can reduce or prevent burnout.
• Financial Stability: Creating a patient experience plan leads to higher satisfaction among patients and staff, which can result in lower readmission rates—saving your facility money and increased patient retention—increasing your revenue.

Taking action to create a positive patient experience is a win-win situation for both the patient and the healthcare facility.

Factors that Influence the Patient Experience

What makes an optimal patient experience? Let's look at some factors that influence this occurrence and how to measure patient experience.

• Access to Care: Affordability is a determinant factor in whether people receive the care they require. Creating payment plans and offering service packages according to the community's needs can go a long way in making care accessible. 
• Clear Communication: The point is not just to have the patient follow instructions. They need to understand their condition, how to care for themselves, and why the medical staff takes specific measures. 
• Empathy and Respect: Empathy, proactiveness, and presence help staff connect with the patient and create an experience where patients feel heard and their needs addressed. 
• Decision Making: When making important decisions about a patient's health, it's essential to present all the information and options available. This way, the treatment to follow becomes a joint decision, bringing the patient a sense of self-empowerment and self-responsibility.
• Culturally Appropriate Care: Just as there are nuances between patient experience and patient satisfaction, an individual’s identity can often shape their patient experience and care they receive. For example, a woman of color might receive a different treatment plan from a white man and as a result have a different satisfaction level. This is why culturally appropriate language and customized treatment are necessary aspects of the patient experience.
• Support Resources: Illness comes with challenges, such as grief, depression, and financial instability. If you offer support groups and resources to aid your patients integrally, their experience and satisfaction levels may improve.

7 Ways to Improve the Patient Experience at Healthcare Facilities

Now, let's look into ways your facility can improve the patient experience you are offering. 

1. Map the Patient Experience: Create a diagram that shows each main step a user takes in receiving medical care and where common issues can arise. This deliberate exercise can highlight areas for improvement and lead to a more streamlined patient experience.
2. Create an Online Presence: Make appointment-setting easy, be transparent about the patient care process, and allow patients to have access to their paperwork virtually.
3. Nurse-to-Patient Ratio: A balanced nurse-to-patient ratio is essential for fostering a supportive and personalized health environment for your patients. On-demand PRN staffing options such as Nursa can help you provide quality patient care during nursing staffing shortages.
4. Take Feedback: Be proactive about conducting surveys with patients after discharge and implementing the feedback. You can even offer a discount to patients willing to trace their patient experience step by step to identify solid and weak touchpoints. 
5. Wellness Programs: Make sure your staff provides the best service by rewarding their hard work with wellness programs that allow them to care for their own physical and mental well-being and motivate them to do their best. 
6. Invest in Education: Invest in educational resources and opportunities for your staff to see improved staff engagement. 
7. Make Waiting Time Comfortable: You can optimize waiting times as much as possible, but high census season and other situations can arise. Ensure your patient is in a comfortable and suitable environment to wait. 

The Patient Experience Is Complex, but Critical to Prioritize

As we have explored, the patient experience is complex yet vital to see improved healthcare outcomes, patient satisfaction, facility ranking, and facility revenue. 

Patient-centered care is essential to creating a positive patient experience. Check out Nursa's tips for How to Improve Patient Care in Hospitals.

Sources:

• Understanding the Patient Experience: A Conceptual Framework
• Measuring Patient Experience and Patient Satisfaction—How Are We Doing It and Why Does It Matter? A Comparison of European and U.S. American Approaches
• Effect of inpatient experiences on patient satisfaction and the willingness to recommend a hospital: The mediating role of patient satisfaction: A cross‐sectional study