What Is Patient Experience and Why Is It Important in Healthcare?
Let’s face it: There’s a lot of jargon in healthcare. In some ways, that’s unavoidable. Care delivery involves distinct understandings of medical complexities, best practices, industry standards, and treatment plans. But to the everyday patient, much of what’s communicated can get lost in translation.
For instance, one University of Missouri study found patients not only misunderstand many medical terms doctors commonly use when speaking with them, but they actually derive opposite meanings from convoluted healthcare language.
Terms communicated between healthcare professionals also often hold little weight unless they’re clearly defined. One such term that comes up daily within healthcare organizations is patient experience. What is patient experience? On its face, patient experience in healthcare encompasses how patients perceive their care episodes, subsequent interactions during treatment, and other touchpoints throughout their care journeys.
But why is this concept so crucial to effective care delivery? What aspects of the patient experience cause it to decline? And how can healthcare organizations course-correct to improve?
To fully grasp the patient experience at your physician practice, community clinic, or other healthcare facility, let’s dive into some basics and discuss how to refine your continuous listening strategy to exceed patients’ expectations of care.
What is patient experience in healthcare? Patient experience definition
The definition of patient experience covers all the interactions patients have with the healthcare system—from their care with doctors, nurses, and staff in hospitals or clinics to their experiences with health plans and beyond. Across the intricate healthcare landscape, patient experience emerges as a vital thread — weaving together the emotional, physical, and psychological aspects of an individual’s journey through medical care.
It transcends the mere administration of treatments and diagnostic procedures, extending its reach into the realms of communication, empathy, and overall well-being. At its core, the patient experience meaning reflects a larger end-to-end care journey.
Ultimately, when patients have more positive experiences with their healthcare providers, they report being more satisfied with their level of care. And when people are more satisfied with their level of care, they’re more likely to trust their go-to provider for future healthcare needs.
But it’s not just patient satisfaction, and thus loyalty, that improves with better patient experience in healthcare. Evidence points to its central role in bolstering more positive health outcomes and preventing harm. It’s also closely tied to increasing NPS (Net Promoter Scores). Overall, understanding the patient experience meaning is essential for improvement.
The importance of patient experience in healthcare: 5 reasons why patient experience matters
Navigating the healthcare system can be intimidating, often leaving patients feeling anxious and uneasy. That’s where a positive patient experience comes in, making a world of difference by creating a more comfortable and supportive environment. But why is patient experience important in healthcare? Let’s break it down.
We know patient experience is the sum of all interactions a patient has with the healthcare system. These patient experiences are crucial in shaping how comfortable and cared for someone feels during their visit.
When healthcare providers prioritize patient experience, they not only make patients feel safer and more at ease, but they also foster better engagement in their own healthcare. This leads to better health outcomes, as patients are more likely to follow treatment plans and take medications as prescribed.
Here are five key benefits of focusing on patient experience:
- Improved Health Outcomes: Patients who feel respected and understood are more likely to engage in their care, leading to better adherence to treatment plans and medications.
- Increased Patient Satisfaction: A positive patient experience model fosters trust and communication, making patients feel heard and valued, which boosts overall satisfaction.
- Enhanced Safety: When staff focus on patient experience, they can devote more attention to safety protocols, reducing the risk of errors and improving long-term patient safety.
- Lower Costs: Positive patient experiences often lead to fewer tests, treatments, and hospital readmissions, ultimately reducing healthcare costs.
- Better Staff Morale and Retention: A strong focus on patient experience not only benefits patients but also boosts staff motivation, leading to improved recruitment and retention.
Patient experience organizations who understand the importance of these interactions can work to build a patient experience model that enhances communication, trust, and respect between patients and providers. Whether it’s through reducing risks, improving access to care, or enhancing patient engagement, a focus on patient experiences is key to a thriving healthcare environment.
4 important elements of great healthcare patient experience
Patient experience in healthcare truly is about more than just clinicians diagnosing, explaining, and treating ailments — it involves understanding the unique needs, fears, and hopes of each individual. Hinging on the connection between healthcare providers and those seeking care, the human experience can’t be denied as a key puzzle piece to understanding what is patient experience at its core, as well as how it impacts patient satisfaction at both the personal and collective levels.
To systematically assess how people experience care from their individual perspectives, organizations across the country have adopted patient survey strategies. But the truth is that many of these methods fall short of providing accurate insights into evolving patient needs.
They often take the form of outdated, paper questionnaires — yielding few responses and even creating friction for patients. Vendors tasked with assisting health systems to understand the patient experience usually take months to deliver gleaned information to leadership for decision-making. All of this leaves care teams in the dark and patients wondering if their voices are going unheard. We’re here to help you understand how to improve patient experience.
That’s why some innovative strategies have emerged for advancing these efforts forward:
1. Continuously listen to patients at every touchpoint
Care delivery doesn’t just happen at the bedside. Before patients enter your hospital or practice and when they return home from the doctor, care journeys continue. It’s only natural that the patient experience in healthcare still goes on well beyond the confines of healthcare facility walls. Shouldn’t your PX strategy do the same? Make sure to not only think about how patients experience care on location, but also how they might view your healthcare organization before their visit and how you assist them after discharge.
2. Opt for digital-first patient experience survey platforms
Paper surveys just don’t cut it anymore. Partly due to physical restrictions emerging from the pandemic, 60% of patients desire digital-first approaches to care. That’s why any effective modern-day patient experience program that emphasizes customer experience in healthcare must have a robust digital-first format. It’s key for engaging patients in a way they’re comfortable with and streamlining data collection to empower your providers with real-time insights.
3. Measure your workforce experience, too
Care team engagement is classically tied to better patient experience. But your care teams won’t engage consistently and effectively with patients unless they, too, have satisfactory experiences on the job. Extend your survey research to your workforce to understand their pain points and drive better decision-making to foster more supportive work environments.
4. Make your data accessible for care teams
There’s a lot of data in healthcare. And, unfortunately, a lot of it remains fragmented and unorganized. Carefully vet new technologies and tools to ensure they simplify data collection, then visualize it in real time for your care teams to use in an actionable way.
4 important challenges to a great healthcare patient experience
Interpersonal dynamics play a crucial role in shaping a patient’s perception of their overall experience and satisfaction. What is patient care experience if not the sum of these interactions? Everything from how prepared patients feel for appointments to their interactions with care teams to how well-informed they are after discharge affects patient experiences.
However, creating a seamless patient experience model can be challenging due to various obstacles. Here are some of the important challenges to a great healthcare patient experience:
1. Long wait times
There’s no question that long wait times are a major detriment to patient experiences in hospital settings. . According to the Association of American Nurse Practitioners, 26% of patients wait two months or more for their appointments, and over half give up seeking care entirely when faced with unreasonable wait times. This directly impacts why patient care is important — because if patients can’t access timely care, their outcomes suffer.
2. Limited digital support
Patients want digital-first, convenient channels for navigating their care journeys. Our increasingly consumer-centric world amplifies the need for a more personalized patient experience. The lack of digital support can severely hinder what is a positive patient experience, as people are more accustomed to getting what they want at the click of a button, they’re expecting the same customer experience in healthcare.
3. Poor provider engagement
By their nature, healthcare environments are somewhat sterile. If patient experiences involve impersonal or disengaged caregivers, the care setting feels even more disconnected. That’s not to mention the impact of harmful medical errors that could be tied to declines in physician engagement — an obvious threat to the patient experiences for all providers.
4. Failed transitions of care
It’s no secret that poorly conducted transitions of care affect outcomes. Unfortunately, 49% of patients experience at least one medical error after discharge. Not only could that inflict harm (unintended or not), but it also erodes the trust patients place in your establishment.
By addressing these challenges, healthcare providers and patient experience organizations can work toward creating examples of positive patient experiences that lead to better outcomes and stronger patient-provider relationships.
6 patient experience examples
Understanding and optimizing patient care experience is crucial for any healthcare organization aiming to deliver high-quality care. But what is patient care experience? It encompasses every interaction patients have with the healthcare system, from booking appointments to post-visit follow-ups. By focusing on these interactions, healthcare providers can create examples of positive patient experiences that resonate with patients, improve outcomes, and foster trust.
Here are six examples that help make up the patient experience model and illustrate why patient care is important in healthcare:
1. Booking an Appointment
Booking an appointment is often the first point of contact between a patient and a healthcare provider, making it a critical touchpoint in the patient experience model. Smooth and efficient appointment booking processes are essential in shaping what is a positive patient experience. Issues such as complicated phone systems, unfriendly patient portals, or long wait times can negatively impact patient experiences in hospitals and clinics.
Access was a top concern among patients in 2023 according to an analysis of over two million patient surveys.
2. Staff Interaction
Patient experiences are profoundly influenced by the way they are treated by healthcare staff. From the reception desk to nurses and beyond, polite and empathetic communication can ease a patient’s anxiety, creating a more comfortable and welcoming environment. Patients who feel heard and respected are more likely to report positive patient experiences.
This interaction is a fundamental aspect of the patient experience model, showcasing why patient experience is important in healthcare—because it directly affects patient satisfaction and outcomes.
3. Excellent Facilities
The physical environment of healthcare facilities plays a significant role in defining patient experience. Modern, clean, and well-maintained facilities contribute to what is a positive patient experience by making patients feel safe and cared for. Whether it’s a comfortable waiting area, spotless examination rooms, or state-of-the-art medical equipment, the quality of the facilities directly influences patient perceptions. Patient care is important not just at the bedside, but throughout the entire healthcare environment.
4. Physician-Patient Interaction
The interaction between a patient and their physician is perhaps the most critical element in defining patient experience. Patients evaluate their experience based on the professionalism, communication, and empathy of their physician. When doctors take the time to connect with patients on a human level—by making eye contact, actively listening, and showing genuine concern—they create examples of positive patient experiences. This interaction not only improves diagnosis and treatment but also encourages patients to share important health information they might otherwise withhold, demonstrating why patient experience is important in healthcare.
5. Post-Visit Follow-Up with Patients
A truly comprehensive patient experience doesn’t end when the patient leaves the clinic or hospital. Post-visit engagement is essential in ensuring that patients understand their treatment plans and next steps. By providing clear instructions, communicating test results promptly, and offering continued support, healthcare providers can reinforce their commitment to patient care. This ongoing engagement is a key example of a positive patient experience, demonstrating why patient care is important even after the initial treatment has concluded.
6. Bridging Cultural Divides
In today’s diverse society, understanding and respecting cultural differences is essential in delivering equitable healthcare. Providing translation services and employing culturally competent staff are vital steps in ensuring that all patients feel understood and respected. Addressing cultural divides not only improves patient satisfaction but also enhances the overall patient experience model by making healthcare more accessible and effective for everyone. This is a powerful example of why patient experience is important in healthcare, as it directly impacts the quality of care and patient outcomes.
Difference between patient experience and patient satisfaction
While they may sound similar, patient experience and patient satisfaction are distinct concepts, though they’re often used interchangeably. Understanding the difference between the two is key to improving healthcare outcomes.
To define patient experience, it’s all about whether specific, expected actions were taken during a healthcare visit. For example, patient experiences in hospital might include receiving clear communication from doctors, detailed instructions before discharge, or a warm greeting from the staff upon arrival. These are examples of positive patient experiences that contribute to a standardized, objective assessment of the care provided.
On the other hand, patient satisfaction measures whether a patient’s expectations for their visit were met. This is more subjective, as each patient’s expectations can vary widely depending on their personal views on how care should be delivered. For instance, two patients might receive the same treatment, but if their expectations differ, they could report vastly different satisfaction levels. This is why patient satisfaction can be more challenging to gauge and compare across different cases.
Why is patient experience important in healthcare? It’s crucial because it focuses on meeting consistent standards of care that apply to all patients, regardless of their personal expectations. This creates a more reliable and equitable healthcare system, where all patients can expect the same level of care and attention.
Patient experience organizations work to build a patient experience model that ensures these standards are met consistently. They understand that what is patient care experience goes beyond satisfaction—it’s about ensuring that specific, necessary actions happen every time, for every patient.
While patient experiences are about the objective actions taken during care, patient satisfaction is more about how those actions align with a patient’s individual expectations. Both are important, but focusing on patient experience helps create a more consistent and positive outcome for all patients, which is why it’s essential to recognize and respect this distinction in healthcare.
Achieve better patient experience with Feedtrail
There isn’t one cure-all for unlocking a better patient experience in healthcare. But there is a better way to gather actionable feedback, learn from patients, and identify issues to make improvements.
Feedtrail’s comprehensive patient experience platform checks all the boxes when it comes to gathering patient feedback and closing the loop to give your care teams the information they need to course-correct.
Find out how Feedtrail can boost your patient experience program by speaking with one of our experts.