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Factors Influencing Patient Experience in Pediatric Neurology
Suprit C Singh1, Raj D Sheth2, James F Burrows3
1University of Central Florida, College of Medicine, Orlando, Florida.
Insights
Patient satisfaction in pediatric neurology is driven by staff interactions and practice environment, not just wait times. Focusing on a positive, efficient, and clean clinic experience enhances patient recommendations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Healthcare Management
- Patient Experience Research
Background:
- Hospitals are adopting patient-centered care models, influenced by pay-for-performance systems like the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
- Pediatric practices are increasingly focusing on family-centered approaches, but key drivers of patient satisfaction require further definition.
- Understanding patient experiences is crucial for improving clinical encounters and overall satisfaction in pediatric healthcare.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify key patient experiences influencing satisfaction in pediatric neurology.
- To determine the primary factors driving patient recommendations in ambulatory pediatric neurology visits.
- To investigate the relative importance of physician-patient interaction versus waiting time on patient satisfaction.
Main Methods:
- A survey methodology was employed, distributing questionnaires via mail or email to families following ambulatory pediatric neurology visits.
- Data were collected from January 2012 to December 2014 across a multi-state children's health system.
- A Likert scale was used, with data filtered via a top-box method and analyzed using Pearson correlation, with likelihood to recommend as the dependent variable.
Main Results:
- The strongest correlates of patient likelihood to recommend were practice cheerfulness (r=0.79), staff teamwork (r=0.76), and practice cleanliness (r=0.70).
- Clinic wait time (r=0.66) and likelihood of recommending the care provider (r=0.65) also showed significant correlations.
- Staff-related factors and environmental aspects demonstrated a stronger association with patient recommendations than wait times.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric neurologists aiming to boost patient satisfaction should prioritize creating a cheerful and collaborative office environment.
- Ensuring efficient, clean, and friendly practice settings is essential for enhancing the overall patient experience.
- Improvements in staff interactions and clinic atmosphere are key to increasing patient likelihood to recommend the practice.
Introduction:
Hospitals have begun to shift toward patient-centered care because of the pay-for-performance system that was established by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In pediatrics, the needs of both the caregiver and the pediatric patient have to be taken into account. Pediatric practices have been shifting toward a family-centered approach, although the primary drivers have not been well defined. Identifying the key patient experiences that lead to higher patient satisfaction would enable a more meaningful clinical encounter. To better understand patient experience, we examined waiting time and the elements of the physician-patient interaction in pediatric neurology. We predict that the determining factor in patient satisfaction is the physician-patient interaction.
Methods And Material:
Patient satisfaction surveys were sent to families via mail or e-mail after their ambulatory pediatric neurology visit. The visits took place between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2014, at one of multiple locations in a children's health system spanning four states. A Likert scale was used for these surveys, and a top-box method (measuring percent of survey questions were rated 5 out of 5) was used to filter data from this database. Statistical analysis using a Pearson correlation was used for data analysis, with likelihood to recommend practice as the dependent variable.
Results:
The five survey questions that correlated most with overall likelihood to recommend the practice were cheerfulness of practice (r = 0.79); staff working together (r = 0.76); cleanliness of practice (r = 0.70); wait time at clinic, from entering to leaving (r = 0.66); and likelihood of recommending care provider (r = 0.65).
Conclusion:
Pediatric neurologists striving to enhance overall patient satisfaction in their practices should work toward providing an atmosphere that supports office staff cheerfulness, teamwork, and visit efficiency provided in a clean and friendly environment.
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