The Patient Experience, It’s About People

As someone who has spent countless hours and long wait times in hospitals and clinics due to a chronic health condition, I’ve come to truly appreciate the importance of a good patient experience. From the friendly receptionist who greets you with a smile to the nurse who takes the time to explain every step of your care, the impact of these small but meaningful actions is immeasurable.

Patient Experience Week, from April 27th to May 3rd, 2025, is an opportunity to celebrate these everyday heroes who work tirelessly to make healthcare more compassionate and seamless. Whether it’s the clinical staff ensuring treatment is as smooth as possible or the volunteers offering support and a warm presence, every role matters.

For someone like me, who has navigated the complex world of medical care countless times, it’s clear that strong teamwork and clear communication between staff and patients can completely transform what might otherwise be a stressful, overwhelming experience. It’s a reminder that healthcare isn’t just about treatments and procedures. It’s about people.

What is patient experience?

Patient experience refers to how patients feel about the care they receive, their interactions with healthcare staff, and their overall journey through treatment. The patient experience focuses on several key areas. It ensures patients receive safe and effective care. It also prioritizes having enough well-trained and properly equipped staff to meet patient needs. Improving the patient experience should promote a culture of respect, teamwork, and open communication, always keeping the needs of patients, clients, and residents as the top priority. 

Patient experience includes all the ways patients interact with the healthcare system. This can involve their time with doctors, nurses, and staff at hospitals or clinics, as well as their dealings with health insurance plans and other parts of the system. It brings together the emotional, physical, and mental aspects of a person’s journey through medical care.

Why is it important to improve patient experience?

When patients have good experiences with their insurance companies, doctors or nurses, and pharmacies, they feel more satisfied with their care. This satisfaction builds trust, making them more likely to return to the same provider in the future. Improving the patient experience in healthcare doesn’t just make patients happier and more loyal. Studies show it also leads to better health outcomes and helps prevent mistakes. It’s also linked to how likely patients are to recommend a service and stick to their treatment plans.

Other benefits include: 

• Improved safety, as paying attention to patient experience, helps staff follow safety rules more carefully, reducing mistakes and keeping patients feel more included in the whole process.
• Lower costs, as thorough treatment initially can lead to fewer tests, treatments, and hospital visits later.
• Happier staff, as satisfied patients, can make staff feel more motivated and improve retention. 

How can patient experience be improved?

In healthcare, patient experience is more than just doctors diagnosing and treating illnesses. It’s about recognizing each person’s unique needs, worries, and goals. This human connection helps with understanding what patient experience really means and how it affects patient satisfaction, both individually and as a whole. This is why the patients’ feedback matters at every step

Care starts before patients walk through the doors and continues after they leave. A good patient experience strategy looks at more than just the care patients get during their visit. It should also consider what patients think about the healthcare organization before they arrive and how they are supported after they leave.

One of my major frustrations with healthcare is the often long wait times. As a patient, it can be frustrating to spend hours in a waiting room only to have a short consultation with a doctor. This is where technology can play a huge role in improving the patient experience.

Increase the use of digital tools in healthcare

Paper surveys and in-person appointments for non-complex care are becoming outdated, especially after the pandemic changed how people interact with healthcare. Patients often now prefer digital options for their care, such as Rxforme, an online telehealth platform. Telemedicine provides remote access to healthcare services using digital technology, for example, enabling patients to consult with their healthcare providers through video calls, phone calls, or online messaging, eliminating the need for frequent in-person visits. It can also help to decrease the long wait times that many patients face when accessing in-person healthcare.

These tools make it easier to connect healthcare providers with patients in a way they’re comfortable with while also avoiding travel, helping to prevent the spread of illnesses like COVID-19 and the flu.

Improve employee experience

Care teams work better with patients when they’re happy at work. If their own experience isn’t positive, it’s harder for them to stay engaged and do their best. Surveys can help find out what employees struggle with so leaders can make better decisions and create a more supportive workplace. 

Improve provider engagement

Another issue is poor provider engagement. Healthcare settings can already feel cold or impersonal, and if caregivers come across as disengaged or uninterested, it only makes the experience worse. In some cases, low engagement from providers can lead to serious medical mistakes, which can harm patients and damage trust in the system.

Improve care transitions

Care transitions are another weak point. When patients move from one stage of care to another, things can go wrong. Lack of communication between healthcare facilities or departments can mean that a patient is not handed over properly, and key elements of their treatment plan or diagnosis may be missed. A recent example from a friend’s work as a speech pathologist was a patient referred to her hospital for treatment who was supposed to only be given thickened liquids due to problems with swallowing. Unfortunately, this was not in the patient notes from the former hospital, and the patient was given regular fluids, which may have led to aspiration pneumonia had she not caught the mistake in time. These mistakes not only risk harming patients but also undermine the trust they have in their caregivers and the healthcare system as a whole.

Simplify the booking procedures

A simple and quick booking process is key to creating a positive experience for patients. Problems like confusing phone systems, hard-to-use online portals, or long wait times can frustrate patients and leave a bad impression. In Australia in 2023, a review of over two million patient surveys showed that access to care was one of the main concerns for patients. 

Improve patients’ access to information and facilities

Surveys have found that a significant proportion of people in disadvantaged areas delayed or went without prescription medication due to cost. For those facing similar challenges, IsraelPharm online pharmacy offers an affordable and reliable solution for accessing essential medications at affordable costs.

Improve facilities 

The quality of healthcare facilities greatly affects how patients feel about their experience. Clean, modern, and well-kept spaces help patients feel safe and cared for. From cozy waiting areas to spotless exam rooms and advanced medical equipment, the environment in which one receives their healthcare can make as much of an impression as the healthcare itself. In fact, if I were to walk into a clinic that looked dirty or unsanitary, I would walk right back out again. 

Improve the practitioner-patient interaction

The way a doctor and patient interact is one of the most important parts of a patient’s experience. Patients judge their experience based on how professional, clear, and caring the doctor is. When doctors take the time to make eye contact, listen carefully, and show real concern, it builds trust and creates a positive experience. This connection also makes patients feel comfortable sharing health details they might keep to themselves.

Make sure to follow up

A good patient experience doesn’t stop when they leave the clinic or hospital. Staying in touch after the visit can help patients understand their treatment and next steps. Providers can show they care by giving clear instructions, sharing test results quickly, and offering support when needed.

Make sure all staff have diversity training

In a diverse society, it’s vital for healthcare providers to understand and respect cultural differences. Offering translation services and hiring staff who are trained in cultural sensitivity can help patients feel valued and understood.

The future of healthcare is all about putting patients first. This means focusing on how patients feel about their care and making services more inclusive and easier to use. Healthcare facilities need to adjust what they offer to better meet the needs and expectations of the people they serve.

How to measure the patient experience in healthcare

Improving patient experience starts with understanding how to measure it effectively. Common methods include Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys, quick-turnaround surveys, focus groups, direct observation, journey mapping, and feedback from patient and family advisory councils.  

Frameworks like AIDET and the 4 P’s are widely used to enhance patient experience. The AIDET (acknowledge, introduce, duration, explanation, and thanks) framework focuses on improving communication by outlining five key steps: acknowledge the patient, introduce yourself, provide a timeline, explain the process, and express gratitude. Meanwhile, the 4 P’s of patient experience (proactive, personalized, predictive, and precise interactions) help healthcare professionals create meaningful and effective care experiences.

FAQs

What is the difference between patient satisfaction and patient experience?

Patient experience and patient satisfaction might seem like the same thing, but they are actually different. Patient experience is about whether certain actions happen during a healthcare visit. For example, did doctors explain things clearly? Were patients given detailed discharge instructions? Did the staff greet patients kindly? Patient satisfaction, however, is about whether a patient’s personal expectations were met. This is more subjective because each person has different ideas about what good care looks like. Both matter, but improving patient experience leads to better, more reliable outcomes for everyone.

What is Patient Experience Week about?

Patient Experience Week (PX Week) is a time to recognize the importance of patient care in healthcare. Held every April, it honors healthcare workers who show strong communication, teamwork, and kindness, making a big difference in patients’ lives.

How to enhance patient experience?

To improve patient experience, healthcare providers can try managing their online presence, minimizing wait times and paperwork through technology, increasing patient engagement with personalized communication, understanding and addressing patient concerns through feedback, training staff in empathy and customer service, and making changes based on patient feedback.

What is an example of a patient experience?

An example of a good patient experience is multi-faceted but may involve empowering the patient to take better care of themselves. Helping patients take charge of their health means providing easy-to-understand resources like online guides, patient portals, and brochures. It also includes encouraging them to use mobile apps to track their health and set medication reminders so they can stay on top of their care and manage their health more confidently.

What is the patient experience framework? 

The patient experience framework emphasizes understanding healthcare from the patient’s perspective, recognizing that their experience begins before entering the healthcare system and continues as a unique individual throughout their journey. This journey involves phases from being a healthy person to becoming a patient with a disease and then a user of healthcare services. The framework highlights that the patient’s overall perception is influenced not only by their interactions with healthcare providers but also by their broader life experiences.