Survey of patient satisfaction in German medical practices: Two thirds of the results are useless

What it’s all about

Due to an incorrect methodology, the “classic” patient survey used in most German medical practices is unable to provide GPs and specialists with realistic insights into the satisfaction of their practice visitors. As a consequence, this leads to necessary change measures not being discovered at all.

A necessary measure insufficiently implemented

In recent years, more and more practice owners have discovered the necessity and, above all, the benefits of patient surveys. However, this does not mean that the surveys have substantially improved the quality of service of the practices, as incorrect survey and evaluation methods minimise the reference to reality.

Practice management comparisons show the problem: most doctors work with school grade scaling. Their advantages are the high level of awareness and acceptance among patients as well as the ease and speed with which they can be analysed. However, this is offset by the fact that the informative value and suitability for adequately mapping the reality of satisfaction is limited.

The PCQS brings light into the darkness

Appropriate results can only be obtained by using the key performance indicator (KPI) “Patient Care Quality Score” (PCQS). It is determined two-dimensionally by combining the patients’ satisfaction and requirements values. The superiority of the PCQS in terms of objectivity and reference to reality compared to the school grading system is shown by the result of a comparison: if school grades and requirement/satisfaction values are surveyed in parallel, the grade “3”, for example, is associated with PCQS values of between 31.4% and 54.7%. The range illustrates how imprecise the school grades are.

With eight building blocks from practice analysis to professional assessment

In order to be able to use patient surveys operationally and strategically as meaningful assessments, the following components are required:

A survey technique that makes it possible to determine the aforementioned Patient Care Quality Score (PCQS)

Only with the help of this indicator can the results be classified and prioritised according to their need for action, an option that helps practice teams to focus their scarce resources on what is really important.

The differentiation of the PCQS according to the core target groups of the practice

Different target groups also have different requirements in terms of practice performance, which are not reflected in an undifferentiated analysis. It is therefore essential to analyse surveys separately according to the most important patient groups for practice work.

The determination of the willingness to recommend

It is an indispensable strategic indicator that describes the patients’ willingness to take action, which results from their satisfaction, because in many cases patients are satisfied with the practice’s performance, but also see deficits that they personally do not wish to pay any further attention to, but do not wish to impose on others, primarily when making a personal recommendation. The survey principle is the Net Promoter Score (NPS).

Determining the patient experience

It describes the overall experience of the patients, which results from their experiences at the individual service stages (“touchpoints”) of the practice’s work – from making an appointment to saying goodbye. The more positive and homogeneous this experience is, the more intensive patient loyalty and image-building are.

A comparison with the values from practices in the same specialist group

With the help of this type of benchmarking, the determined patient data can be put into context and further objectified.

Monitoring the course of satisfaction over several analysis points in time

If patient surveys are carried out continuously and changes over time are analysed, this forms the basis for professional satisfaction management. This also makes it possible to formulate and monitor satisfaction targets, e.g. in the form of target PCQS values, which guide practice work.

Summary

Many German doctors use patient surveys to measure the satisfaction of their patients. However, two thirds of the results are unusable due to incorrect methodology. Although the frequently used school grading scale can be analysed quickly, it only provides limited information.

The key performance indicator “Patient Care Quality Score” (PCQS) enables a two-dimensional analysis of satisfaction and requirement values. This provides more precise results and clearly shows differences that cannot be recognised with the school grading scale.

An effective patient survey should also be differentiated according to specific target groups and measure the willingness of patients to recommend a doctor to others. In addition, continuous monitoring of satisfaction makes it possible to analyse changes over time and to improve practical work in a targeted manner.