Reading in Bed & Eating Poached Eggs – Test the patient experience?

Do you really know what your patients experience?

As a frequent traveler, I've experienced hospitality across the spectrum - from luxurious five-star hotels to basic youth hostels, from historic castles to charming B&Bs. While each place offers something unique, they all share one fundamental promise: a good night's sleep and a nourishing breakfast to start the day.

This got me thinking about healthcare practices. Just as hotels sell more than just a bed, you're offering more than clinical treatments. You're providing an end-to-end experience: from the ease of booking appointments to the warmth of your greeting, from pre-appointment information to the cleanliness of your facilities and the impact of your clinical intervention.

To illustrate why testing every aspect of your patient experience matters, let me share two revealing stories from my travels.

Do you read before you go to sleep?

Recently, my husband and I stayed at what seemed like a perfect hotel. The décor was stunning - imagine Jasper Conran meets Joules - and the service was impeccable. But when I tried to read before bed, I discovered the beautifully designed bedside lamp was on a bedside cabinet that was very low, and the bulb in the lamp was quite dim, so I wasn't able to read my book. A small detail, perhaps, but one that impacted my experience. I ended up wearing my headtorch to read my book. Not what you expect in a luxury hotel.

 

Bagels for breakfast?

Similarly, at a charming B&B, the breakfast menu was impressive and thoughtfully put together. I ordered a toasted bagel with poached eggs, which looked delicious. However, the knife provided wouldn't cut through the bagel without significant effort. Unfortunately, we were eating at a large table with other guests sitting at the other end, both with very full cups of tea which soon spilled when I started sawing my bagel. What should have been an enjoyable breakfast became an embarrassing situation that I couldn't wait to escape.

These experiences highlight a crucial point for healthcare practice owners: you can't fully know how your service feels until you've experienced it from your patients' perspective.

 

A patient experience audit

I want to encourage every practice owner to really experience the service they offer as if they were a patient.

N.B. If you think doing this would change how your team delivers the service, then recruit the services of your aunty or a good friend (anyone your team doesn't know) who won't sugar-coat what they experience.

 

Here's how you (or they) can conduct a thorough patient experience audit:

 

Start at the beginning

Start where your patients do - by booking an appointment. Navigate your website as a first-time visitor. Call after hours to test your voicemail system. Send an email requesting a schedule change. These simple actions can reveal gaps in your communication processes that might frustrate patients.

What about the physical space?

Just as hotels need to consider every aspect of their rooms, you need to evaluate every corner of your practice. Spend time in your waiting area - not just a quick glance, but the full duration of an average wait. Sit in the chairs, browse the magazines, and listen to the background music. Is the environment soothing or anxiety-inducing? Do the same in the bathroom - what do you see, hear, or smell?!

Test the clinical space

Take time to lie or sit on your treatment couch. What do patients see or feel when they're in this position? Are there cobwebs on the ceiling? Is the lighting harsh? Does your equipment make unsettling noises? These details matter more than you might think.

What about your team?

How do staff interact with patients? Are they friendly and approachable? Do they maintain professionalism under pressure? Test your phone answering during peak hours and out of hours. How do your clinicians negotiate treatment planning? How much are they pushing a sale to meet targets? Try and review every aspect of the patient team engagement. 

The bottom line

While neither the hotel's dim reading light nor the B&B's challenging breakfast would prevent me from returning, these experiences demonstrate how small oversights can impact the overall experience. In healthcare, these details can influence whether patients return or refer others to your practice.

Remember, patient satisfaction isn't just about clinical outcomes - it's about the complete journey from first contact to follow-up care. By regularly walking in your patients' shoes, you can identify and address potential issues before they affect your practice's reputation and growth.

Don't assume everything is working perfectly just because you haven't received complaints. Take the initiative to test, observe, and improve every aspect of your patient experience. Your practice's success depends on it.

 

Thank you soooo much for taking the time to stop by my healthcare marketing blog today. I really hope you found value in spending some time here today.

I’d be so grateful if you could spare me just another 5 minutes to share your thoughts or questions in the box at the end of this page. What are you going to do differently now in your private practice?

Oh, and please use the social share buttons if you think other people you know might benefit from seeing this.

Until next time.

Thank you

Jill Woods
Healthcare Marketing Specialist
Founder of Practice Momentum