As the operating force behind any healthcare facility – whether it’s an outpatient clinic, a GP surgery or a full-scale hospital – improving patient experience should be a constant priority.
Patient experience is about a lot more than just the treatment itself. There are many elements that factor into a patient’s overall experience in any healthcare facility, from booking the appointment to the end of any necessary follow-ups. These are generally referred to as ‘patient journey touch points’.
So, what are patient journey touchpoints and how can they be monitored within a healthcare facility? Read on to find out more.
What is a patient journey touch point?
Patient journey touchpoints are any interaction that a patient has with your healthcare facility, whether in person or not, that may affect their overall experience.
The more touch points that a patient encounters in a positive way, the more positive they are likely to consider their experience in the facility overall.
In order to monitor a facility’s vital touch points, it’s important to first identify what your most important touch points are.
Examples of patient touchpoints
Here are some examples of healthcare facility touch points that could make or break the experience of a patient overall:
- Booking an appointment
- Arrival/checking into a healthcare facility
- Waiting times
- First impressions of treatment rooms
- Interactions with healthcare practitioners
- Quality of in-patient care
- Quality of aftercare and follow-ups
Touch points will vary between different types of healthcare facility, but their level of importance is consistent throughout.
Identifying patient journey touchpoints
A good way to identify the vital patient touchpoints within your facility is to walk through the typical patient experience for yourself and note down each of your interactions with the facility and its staff.
When doing this, consider which aspects of each touch point a patient would typically notice. What thoughts would typically go through a patient’s mind at each one?
For example:
- Booking an appointment – How long is the average patient on hold when booking over the phone? Are staff members responding to calls in a polite and friendly manner? Could the booking process be made more efficient?
- First impressions of consultation/treatment rooms – Are consultation/treatment rooms clean and tidy? Are rooms set out ready for the patient’s arrival?
- Quality of in-patient care – Are wards clean and sanitary? Are nurses friendly and receptive to the patient’s needs? Are patients well looked after?
Walking through a typical patient journey and considering each touch point individually will allow you to identify the elements that contribute the most to a patient’s experience overall. It will also alert you to any changes that could be made to improve this even further.
Monitoring patient touchpoints
Once you are satisfied that you each of your patient touch points has been brought to as high a standard as possible, you’ll need to ensure that this quality is maintained in order to continue providing the most positive patient experience overall.
To do this, you’ll need to monitor each of your touch points consistently and effectively.
There are a variety of ways that patient touch points can be monitored effectively.
First off, consider implementing patient surveys to gather feedback on their level of satisfaction following their treatment within your facility. These may be distributed electronically or given to patients physically before they leave.
Keep in mind that patients will be less likely to answer a survey the longer it is, so you will be unable to ask about each touch point individually.
Instead, consider carefully which touch points should be included within questions, ensuring to gain feedback on elements such as cleanliness, quality of care and, of course, overall satisfaction with their experience.
You may also select a trusted team member who frequently works within each touch point to take charge of monitoring standards in this area. For example, assign a member of your reception team to monitor the appointment booking and checking in process and a member of the nursing team to monitor the cleanliness and quality of patient care on inpatient wards.
You should also spot-check touch points on a regular basis, carrying out regular walkthroughs of the patient experience. Not only will this allow you to see whether or not standards are being upheld consistently but you may also identify new ways to improve the efficiency and quality of touch points.
Post-visit care
The patient’s journey does not end when they leave your facility. In fact, you can learn more about how effectively you are managing patient journey touch points by requesting feedback from patients based on the overall experience. You should also persist with patient engagement, encouraging patients to become active participants in their own healthcare journeys. You can share notes from their visit, remind them about check-ups, and provide them with news or updates.
Enhance facility standards with Samsic UK
At Samsic UK, we provide a wide range of services to assist healthcare facilities in providing the best possible experience to every patient.
Ensure that the highest standards are maintained in vital touch point areas by enlisting the help of Samsic experts, each trained to deliver a quality service tailored to the needs of the client.
Samsic UK reception services ensure a great first impression on patients every time, while our contract cleaning teams work to consistently deliver the highest standard of cleanliness in every area of your healthcare facility.
For more information on contract cleaning, outsourcing your reception management or any other Samsic UK services, request for quotation today.
