Patient experience refers to everything that happens to patients from the moment they walk into the doctor's office until the end of the appointment. It also includes all phone calls or other contact a patient has with the doctor's office before or after appointments.
Care You Should Expect to Receive - High quality care includes positive interactions between patients, doctors and office staff:
- Availability of appointments, care and information when needed.
- Doctors who listen and explain care instructions in a way that patients understand.
- Polite and helpful office staff. For example, a receptionist that treats patients with courtesy and respect.
- An overall positive experience after which patients are likely to recommend their doctor to others.
How Will This Help Me? By asking patients about their office visit experiences, doctors and their office staff can learn how well they are interacting with their patients and how they can improve. Patient experience is broadly recognized as a core element of health care quality.
