Patient satisfaction is one of the most critical outcomes to achieve in the complex world of healthcare, and as a result, there is no surprise in practice owners and medical specialists being vulnerable to complaints. Understanding these complaints instead of taking the position of stubborn ignorance is the first step toward improving patient experience.
In this blog post, we talk about some of the most common patient complaints against doctors and hospitals and how healthcare providers can address these issues.
Why is Focusing on Patient Experience a Must?
Our years of experience show that our take on effective healthcare delivery not being the only part of patient experience is more than reasonable. When patients feel valued and well taken care of, satisfaction and health outcomes are likely to go up. Patient experience focus, therefore, is not necessarily a physical thing but a strategic requirement. Patients who are looking for healthcare services nowadays start their journey online, and having poor online presence can become a reason to lose potential patients before you even had a chance to help them.
Ignoring patients’ complaints may lead to a loss of confidence and your loss of reputation. Yes, your reputation—that one thing that helps you stand out in a very competitive, even cutthroat field of healthcare. No matter how big your practice is, a worldwide company web or a local clinic, if your reputation is not as good as your competitors’, you may experience a decrease in both patients and money.
Common Patient Complaints About Doctors and Hospitals
Bad Appointment Making Process
One of the common complaints of patients is the difficulty they have in making appointments. In fact, most patients find complex and inefficient booking systems, such as long hold times on the phone, not responding, and a lack of available appointment slots, stressful. The younger generation is known for having troubles with live or phone communication, and having to spend 20 minutes talking to make an appointment can be nothing but an inconvenience for them.
Simple improvements can be made to get hold of a human in a reasonable time instead of wasted time on talking. The best ways to ensure a well-organized appointment process are online scheduling and mobile apps. Adding chatbots and AI will make it even easier for patients to book an appointment at their convenience.
Long Waiting Times
Long waiting periods are another thing that causes lots of complaints. The patients are made to wait for so long before they get the attention of health providers. This happens in many instances, from the reception to the examination room. Long waiting hours might provoke feelings of frustration, anxiety, and a feeling of devaluation.
Health providers can adopt better scheduling practices and organize reminder emails or message sending. That way, it can efficiently manage time and reduce patient wait time by keeping them in the loop.
Poor Communication with Staff
Effective healthcare is impossible without good communication, and yet, across the board, patients complain about poor communication with staff. Be it unclear instructions, lack of empathy, or difficulty getting information, the flaws in communication make all the difference in the patient’s experience, especially when it comes to live appointments.
Patients want to be heard and understood, and one of the important things is to be respected. Trained staff can improve the patient-provider experience. And we are not overreacting. Having nice communication built into your facility may enhance the level of trust and patient satisfaction even more than treatment itself.
Not Enough Info on Websites and Social Media
We already mentioned online presence a couple times, and that’s not a coincidence. Patients expect to receive all the information that they may want about you and your practice on a website or even social media. And rightly so, a lack of information always causes frustration. So the logical thing to do is make sure that information detailing the services, provider’s credentials, office hours, and contact information is available online and is easy to find.
Make sure your website is user-friendly and your social media pages are well managed. In most cases, contacting a healthcare marketing agency is a way to go. This will help you ensure that your website was designed by a professional design team and your social media posts are managed by people who are qualified to boost your online presence.
Healthcare Providers Not Being Available
Availability of a health provider is a major thing, especially in the US. It is sometimes difficult to reach out to healthcare providers, and patients openly complain about this. This may be because they feel it hard to get an appointment easily, which may indicate visiting time gaps. It can also be that sometimes providers are hard to reach for follow-up questions.
In this regard, healthcare providers may want to consider extended hours, telehealth options, and a better follow-up process. Making patients feel that they have access to healthcare not only during the appointment is a good thing to do.
Not Enough Time One-on-One with Healthcare Specialists
Patients want one-to-one interaction with a doctor, and one of the most common complaints that tends to be unseen is that there is not enough time available with the doctor or health professional. This might create a gap with the patients when they find that the consultations are “done in a hurry” and that their problem has not been understood and analyzed properly. This will lead to dissatisfaction and mistrust.
We understand that this issue is often too dramatic, and in most cases, short, high-quality interactions are enough to understand the symptoms and provide treatment options. So our advice is to tell your patients that their condition is standard if you are sure about it and they have nothing to worry about. In more complex scenarios, additional tests and appointments will be needed anyway.
Addressing Patient Complaints for Better Outcomes
Improving patient satisfaction requires a proactive approach to addressing common complaints. Here are some strategies healthcare providers can implement:
- Streamline Appointment Processes: Make appointment booking as easy and fast as possible.
- Reduce Waiting Times: Optimize scheduling to prevent overbooking. Keep patients informed about any delays and provide comfortable waiting areas.
- Enhance Communication: Train staff in communication skills and empathy. Ensure that patients receive clear and timely information.
- Improve Online Presence: Keep websites and social media updated with relevant information. Make it easy for patients to find what they need.
- Increase Availability: Offer flexible scheduling options, including telehealth. Ensure that patients can reach healthcare providers for follow-up questions.
- Focus on Quality and Full Interactions: Allow adequate time for each patient during consultations. Listen actively and address all concerns.
Final Thoughts
Listening to and addressing the complaints and feedback your patients give is a must! But prioritizing patient experience is far more than being about complaint management; it is about creating a healthcare environment where patients genuinely feel valued, heard, and cared for. In doing so, healthcare professionals will develop better patient relations, with enhanced health outcomes reached.