Clinic Satisfaction Tool Improves Communication and Provides Real-Time Feedback

Area of Science:

• Healthcare management
• Patient experience research
• Clinical quality improvement

Background:

• Patient-reported outcomes are crucial for enhancing healthcare delivery.
• The standard Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CG-CAHPS) survey offers delayed feedback and lacks individualized, actionable results.
• Current methods for assessing patient experience are insufficient for real-time improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a single-page Clinic Satisfaction Tool (CST) for immediate, actionable patient feedback.
• To assess the CST's impact on patient satisfaction, communication scores, and physician buy-in.
• To determine the feasibility and effectiveness of the CST in a clinical setting.

Main Methods:

• A 12-month assessment of the Clinic Satisfaction Tool (CST) involving 14,690 patients and 12 physicians.
• Comparison of patient-reported outcomes before and after CST implementation.
• Evaluation of CG-CAHPS global ratings and physician communication scores in relation to CST data.

Main Results:

• High CST utilization (96%) was achieved, with physicians preferring its immediate feedback over CG-CAHPS.
• CST satisfaction scores significantly predicted improvements in CG-CAHPS global ratings and physician communication scores.
• Negative patient feedback decreased significantly during the study period, correlating with high CST utilization.

Conclusions:

• The Clinic Satisfaction Tool (CST) is a cost-effective method for capturing patient experience, offering real-time, actionable feedback.
• The CST enhances communication and satisfaction between patients and physicians.
• Implementing the CST represents a significant improvement over traditional delayed feedback surveys.