Do any of your patients seem flustered when entering the exam room? If so, it might be because they are experiencing one or more of the common causes of dissatisfaction as identified by a Consumer Reports survey and a report featured on ABC News.

The Consumer Reports survey was cited to reveal the following as the things patients dislike most about visiting the doctor:

• 24% of patients surveyed said the amount of time spent in the waiting was most annoying, with almost one in four patients revealing that they waited no less than 30 minutes; ABC News shared that patients often feel the doctors think their time is more valuable than the patients’.

• 19% said they couldn’t schedule an appointment within a week.

• 9% felt that their doctors didn’t spend enough time with them. In relation to this, ABC News reported that many patients feel their doctors aren’t really listening to them in the time they do spend with their patients.

• 7% responded that test results were not provided in a timely manner.

• And 6% of the respondents felt phone calls were not responded to promptly.

While it may not be easy to hear some of this not-so-positive feedback, it can be beneficial for your practice to take these into careful consideration and use them to your advantage. In other words, you can use this information to actively work on improving office flow and the patient experience. In order to decrease the time a patient spends in the waiting room, for example, you may want to try scheduling fewer appointments during the day, rather than trying to pack them in. Set goals to stay on a strict schedule in order to be able to see patients at their appointed time. This could also help you give each patient a little more attention so you can address all their questions without either of you feeling rushed. Of course, you will always have to properly set exceptions in the event of an emergency.

To be sure you provide test results as quickly as possible, consider investing in advanced technology that will enhance your practice. Adding one of Optos’ ultra-widefield retinal imaging devices offers a range of benefits that can positively impact your practice’s flow and your patients’ experience. For example, patients receive a fast and painless exam, which provides images that are immediately available for you to review with your patients, just to name a few.

How do you address patient complaints like the ones identified in the survey? Share your solutions with us in a comment below.

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