The 8 Best Patient Feedback Survey Questions You Need to Ask

To provide your patients with the best possible care, gathering feedback on what you're doing well and where you need to improve is essential. To help you get started, here are nine of the best patient feedback survey questions that any medical practitioner should ask their patients after every appointment. Use these questions to make your practice more efficient, your patients happier, and your business more successful!

What type of doctor did you see today?

The first question on any patient feedback survey should be simple, easy, and to the point. People want their voices heard, and you're giving them a chance to do just that – give you some feedback. So for starters, let them know what kind of provider they saw today (primary care doctor, OB/GYN, cardiologist, etc.). Such data is critical in creating a high-quality healthcare experience for your patients.

How well did we communicate with you today?

Communication is a two-way street: your patients need to be able to tell you what they want and don't want, and you need to listen. The question mentioned in the title gives their voice some weight, rather than treating it as an afterthought or ignoring it altogether. Communication is one of many ways healthcare providers can improve—and understanding exactly how your patients feel about your communication is a big part of that improvement.

Was it easy to get an appointment today?

A 2014 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine (involving doctors in Boston, Houston, and San Francisco) found that only 35% of doctors' offices offered same-day appointments. Same-day scheduling is especially common among large medical practices with multiple staff providers. If you don't offer same-day appointments and your patients can't visit you when they need care, it's essential to ask them how satisfied they are with their ability to schedule an appointment during regular hours. If patients report dissatisfaction, find out why: Is there a long wait time on hold? A complicated phone menu? Does your staff call back promptly once they're available?

Did we do everything we could to help relieve your pain today?

A patient satisfaction form aims to get your patients' feedback on how you practice. If you want some meaningful results, don't ask How satisfied were you with your care? Don't fall into that trap. Instead, lead off with a question about pain management—were they relieved of their pain? Then, follow it up with questions like:

• Were we courteous and attentive?
• Did our staff and doctors listen carefully?
• How would you rate our facility overall?

This way, you'll gather more specific data (pain relief) while also asking open-ended questions that are more likely to yield insights into what your patients think about their experience at your practice. That's just more intelligent surveying.

How comfortable was the chair in our waiting room?

How important is your waiting room experience? Does it affect patient satisfaction or even your bottom line? By asking patients how they feel about their experience in your waiting room, you're taking a huge step toward improving it. Not sure how best to go about measuring waiting room comfort? Start by asking patients one of these nine questions (or ask them all!). It won't take much time at all and could make all the difference in building customer loyalty. For more on ways, you can improve your overall customer satisfaction, check out these questions from our company!

How would you describe the noise level in our waiting room?

The ideal noise level in a waiting room is just enough to cover up the sounds of conversation so that patients don't have to strain to hear the queries. Studies show that low background noise can lead to a more positive patient experience. So, you may want to research acoustical treatments and soundproofing before you start asking patients how they feel about your waiting room noise level.

How polite and friendly were our staff?

Is polite and friendly enough? Or should there be more emphasis on other things, like listening to patients? There are many ways you could go with something like that, but having an open-ended question like that is essential. Many people who go through surveys fill in whatever they see because they don't know what else to say or because they want to fill it out quickly; getting an honest answer takes some thoughtfulness. It also asks for how often, which also gives you additional data. All in all, one of my favorites!

Would you recommend this practice to someone else?

Asking your patients if they would recommend your practice is a great way to assess how you're doing and ensure that customers are satisfied. Remember that when people refer others, there is an element of trust involved. It's hard for people to recommend someone or something they don't know or understand. Research has shown that these types of recommendations have a much higher conversion rate than other types of marketing, so patient satisfaction and recommendation questions are an absolute must! That said, there is also a downside: if you discover that most patients would not recommend your practice, it might be time for you to reflect on what needs improvement.

Free patient satisfaction survey template

Are you a medical center or clinic needing a free patient feedback form template? Use Heyform, our free online form builder capable of crafting intelligent patient feedback surveys with conditional features and rich design modules.