When to use a patient experience survey:
- When you need a quick and efficient way of getting information
- When you need to reach a large number of people
- When the information you need isn’t readily available in any other way
Materials you'll need:
- Team members
- Paper and pens
- Computerized word processing and calculation tools or an online survey builder
- Envelopes and stamps (if mailing surveys)
- Drop box (if distributed in an office or a defined location)
Survey Process:
The population is a group of individuals. A sample is a sub-set of the population chosen because the entire population may be too large to access.
• What group of people is our target?
The population should reflect the information you are gathering. For example, if you want to know about the patients’ general satisfaction with a clinic, the entire population would be your target. If you want to know about patients’ experiences with the new laboratory process, your population would only be those people who have used the laboratory since the new process was implemented.
• What is our sample?
The key issue in choosing a sample is to be sure the members chosen are representative of the population.
Once you determine the group of people, you will be able to determine how to gather the information.
• Personal (face-to-face) interview
• Telephone interview
• Mail
• Internet (Web)
• Distribute at work/office/clinic
• Write short, simple and specific questions
• Use common language
• Avoid complex terms
• Use one thought per question
• Do not use “and” or “or” in the question
• Avoid double-negatives
• Avoid leading questions
• Do not overtax the respondent’s memory
• Do not use hypothetical questions
• Do not use terms such as “always”, “none” or “never” in your questions
• Offer “not applicable” or “does not apply” as a choice
Remember your audience when wording your questions. Is English their first language? Are they able to read and understand your questions?
• Begin with general, easy-to-answer questions
• Follow with more specific questions
• Ask personal questions and demographic information toward the end of the questionnaire
• Open-ended questions – Respondent writes or enters free-form text
• Check/Select one – Respondent chooses one option from a list
• Check all that apply – Respondent chooses multiple options from a list
• Ranking of choices – Respondent ranks a list of options in order of preference, importance, satisfaction, etc.
• Likert scale – Respondent rates the extent to which a respondent agrees or disagrees with the issue
• Visual numbered scale – Respondent rates topics based on range of numbers
• Capture attention with a professional and attractive document
• Use a large size font for ease of reading
• Leave space between questions
• Separate each question with a line if possible
• If not using an electronic method, use quality paper
• Give clear instructions throughout the questionnaire
• Type instructions in larger font or in bold print
Prepare a mock-up survey. Ask volunteers to complete the survey, and ask for feedback:
• Did they find flaws in the survey?
• Were any words or terms unfamiliar?
• Was it easy to understand?
• Was it easy to complete?
• Were the instructions clear?
Amend the survey based on feedback. Then, repeat the process: recruit another group of volunteers and ask them to take the amended survey, ask for feedback, and continue to amend and test until you are satisfied with the outcome.
• Review your initial survey objectives
• Validity: Does the instrument measure what you intended it to measure?
• Reliability: Does the survey produce the same or similar results when posed to the same individual at different times? (2 to 4 weeks later)
• Amend the survey as needed to assure validity and reliability
• Identify respondents and keep track of status
• Use a simple database to track when questionnaires are sent out, to whom and when returned.
• Number each questionnaire
• Uniquely identify each survey before it is distributed to assure confidentiality
• Deliver the questionnaire ( e.g. paper, online, telephone, etc.)
Divide the number of completed returns by the number of questionnaires distributed or attempted and then multiply by 100. A higher response rate is a more accurate representation of the population than a lower response rate. Generally accepted response rates are above 30%.
How to increase your response rate:
Mailed Survey
– Use white, stamped envelopes to contact subjects
– Always include a pre-paid, addressed envelope for replies
– Stress the confidentiality of the survey
– Include a personal cover letter signed by the Administrator
– Send at least two reminders to non-respondents including another copy of the questionnaire and a pre-paid, addressed envelope
Online Surveys
– Choose a software that is mobile device compatible (easy to read on phone or tablet)
– Include a progress bar so that respondents can see how many questions they have completed
– Send the survey with a personalized message from your email server to decrease likelihood of your request going into spam
– Use display logic so that respondents only see questions that apply to them based on responses to previous questions
•Summarize data so that it is easily understood
• Be sure it provides answers to the original questions
• Simple surveys may be hand-tabulated and counted
• Use electronic spreadsheets such as Excel or other statistical software to assist in coding and analyzing more complex data
• Look for patterns in the data
• Compare data within a survey
Example – 20% may be satisfied with wait time, while 60% were satisfied with the overall quality. Team may want to look into wait time.
• Comparison across subgroups (e.g., employee status, gender, age group)
Example: Employees who work on a part time basis rate availability of parking lower than employees who work full-time.
• Comparison across time
To determine if improvements are having the desired effect, questions and sampling techniques need to be the same across surveys.
Improving the Process:
1. Select improvement opportunities based on the goals established by the survey objectives
2. Determine where the greatest needs exist for improvement
3. Utilize a Process Improvement Methodology such as PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) to make improvements
Alternative Short Survey:
Alternative Short Survey (approximately 5 questions)
A short survey may be used:
- To target a simple activity
- As a follow-up to a change implemented
- To obtain simple and prompt feedback
- To see if improvement efforts are going in the right direction
Using the principles outlined above:
1. Identify the purpose of the survey
2. Choose 1-5 simple questions that will give you the information you need
3. Test the questions on volunteers to assure questions are easily understood
4. Rewrite the questions based on feedback
5. Design a method for distribution (e.g. provided by nurse in the clinic)
6. Collect the surveys on a regular basis (daily, weekly, etc.)
7. Display data on a run chart
8. Respond quickly to complaints or negative feedback needing immediate follow-op
