Patient experience is essential for doctors of all types, whether you work out of a large hospital or a private clinic. Their satisfaction should be a priority for your team. Fortunately, there are some simple actionable measures you can take, from post-surgery pillows to staff attire, that will transform their experience.

The Importance of the Patient Experience

Rising health care costs means that patients find a greater financial risk with their well-being. As they spend more, they care more about getting the best possible value from their investment. If they feel they aren’t getting the care they deserve, they will move on to a different provider.

A positive patient experience will not only enhance your revenue by retaining patients, but it will also keep your patient base healthier. Studies have found that patient satisfaction was directly associated with better health. Patients who were satisfied in their care were more engaged, which led to better guideline adherence and lower inpatient mortality rates.

How to Boost Satisfaction

1. Spend Time With Patients

Though you may already be spending as much time as possible with your patients, there are ways you can help them feel that you are spending more time with them. Look them in the eye while you talk and thoroughly answer all of their questions, rather than multitasking. Sit down for your conversation with them; an emergency medicine study found that patients perceived physician encounters to be nearly 25% longer when the doctor was sitting down rather than standing.

2. Improve Communication

Good communication helps patients understand their care and know what to expect. Set their expectations, and then meet them, rather than allowing patients to come up with their own expectations and become disappointed when they aren’t met. One easy tactic to achieve this is with post-surgery pillows. The post-surgery pillows have educational diagrams on them to help patients understand what’s going on and put them at ease, while improving the doctor-patient relationship.

3. Reduce Perception of Wait Times

You may not be able to change your wait times, but you can change how long they feel to your patient. Begin the check-in process while they are waiting to see you, such as filling out paperwork and having the staff conduct preliminaries. Keep them occupied and updated. This means giving them something to do while they wait and updating them on the expected wait time.

4. Change Staff Attire

Patients tend to prefer and trust physicians who dress as professionals. Avoid casual attire, such as jeans and T-shirts. Have staff wear branded scrubs or white coats over professional business attire.

When you’re ready to start making changes, begin with getting pillows from Shumsky Therapeutic Pillows in Dayton, OH. Their post-surgery pillows are designed to increase comfort and improve patient education. Each surgery pillow can be customized to include logos, diagrams, and health tips. See their pillows for patients on their website, and call (888) 333-3677 to purchase yours.