Patient satisfaction: the ultimate goal of any healthcare unit

We always optimize our business to satisfy our customers. But here can we assume the patients as customers? Are they really same or the different? Leave it, these are actually the secondary questions. The first and most important is the satisfaction of a human being for any service or product. 

Patients visiting at any health facility have the random mindsets about the decisions and the risk factors for the problems they are facing mentally or physically. The things they want from the health facility aren't only the perfect cure of their problems, but also the convenient atmosphere and behavior of the health staff. These small things also matter a lot for the full impression of health services in patients' minds.

Though the primary aspect of any health facility is to diagnose the real disease and its management, the other factors also make impacts on the final outcome.

⏳ Waiting period

From entry to exit, the most of time patients spend in hospital is between the lobbies. The exact time of the diagnosis to treatment process is almost half than the total period spent in OPD. Though it may not be considered for the IPD patients, the overall stay of patient is really important as per patient's point of view. The more patients will stay at the premises empty minded, the more they'll get annoyed by the hospital atmosphere. Even the chances of nosocomial infection also rise with the stay of patients at hospital. So the ultimate goal should be to keep patient as less as possible at hospital for the necessary treatment. It will also include the time given by doctor to the patient. Every patient wants to be listened by doctor as much as possible but the same time the other patients suffer the more waiting period. Here the way of point to point explanation by the patient and the quick possible diagnosis by doctor reduce the time of interaction and hence for other patients' waiting though this quick process must not affect the quality care.

🙏 Staff behavior

First impression is the last impression. This is very true for the patient at the hospital desk. Though hospital isn't a place to warmly welcome anybody, hospital staff should be polite enough to interact with the patients and their relatives. Staff should guide the patients as per their requirement and necessities. Sometimes rude behavior of staff may also affect the final result of the whole treatment process. Gentle tone of doctors and staff members motivates them to elaborate their problems without hiding the necessary history. Such impression leads to the intimacy between staff and patient which is finally a huge success of the institute.

🧹 Cleanliness

Clean environment like home develops the positive vibes for the visitors as well as staff members. It triggers the safety in one's mind. Of course it reduces the hospital acquired infection as well. Nobody wants oneself to be sit aside dirt. Bio waste management should be sound enough to maintain the pretty look of the premises. Blood stains on the surfaces develops the dirty arrogance on one's mindset. Care of the premises is same important as care of patients. 

 🚫 Privacy

In a crowd of patients every patient want to keep the privacy. Nobody wants to share their physical or mental status publicly. Even in neighborhood nobody wants to declare his/her illness until one wants sympathy from others. In check-up room a lady patient must be assisted with another lady staff member along with a male doctor to reduce the hesitation of that lady patient. Especially in gynecology problems and sexually transmitted diseases, privacy of the patient information is the key to make patient feel comfortable. Privacy motivates patients to disclose the history correctly without any pressure. Sometimes it helps to maintain the dignity of a patient in the society. 

🤝 Trust

The bonding between health staff and patient decides the direction of the treatment. If patient hesitates to his/her care taker, the distrust ignite the doubt. Above all points are responsible to create the trust in patients' mind. Without trust patient doubts always as a customer for the hospital's services. Without warm behavior and proper guidance, it's difficult to generate bond between them. We occasionally see the news of blaming hospital authorities by patients' relatives for treatment failures. This type of distrust leads to violation. This violation can't be handled by laws and orders, it just can be built by trust, trust and trust only. Though it's not only hospital's responsibility to maintain the decorum of the doctor-patient relationship, it should be initiated by hospital side to create such positive attitude. Afterwards whatever happens, let it be.

Final Funda: Believe me, customer satisfaction is far easier thing than patient satisfaction