Quick answer
What should a patient satisfaction survey include?
Hospitals and clinics use this template to ask patients, in a consistent way, how they found their care. It should include:
- Introduction assuring confidentiality
- Demographic information
- Service quality ratings
- Staff interaction
- Facility feedback
- Overall satisfaction rating
- Open-ended questions
In this article (8 sections)
- Designing Your Patient Satisfaction Survey Template
- Top Patient Satisfaction Survey Template Examples
- Best Practices for Patient Satisfaction Surveys
- Analyzing Survey Results
- Patient Satisfaction Survey Questions With Answer Options
- When and How Often To Run Patient Satisfaction Surveys
- Common Patient Survey Mistakes and How To Avoid Them
- Frequently Asked Questions
A patient satisfaction survey template gives every patient the same set of questions about their whole experience of your hospital or clinic, so you can track satisfaction over time and compare departments. It is the overall survey; for a general comment form that patients fill in on the spot, see our hospital feedback form template. Below: how to structure it, two examples, a question bank with answer scales, and how to run it.
Designing Your Patient Satisfaction Survey Template
Build the survey in the order a patient experiences care, and write each section so the answers point to something you can fix:
- Introduction: one or two lines on why you are asking, how long it takes and that answers are confidential. This builds trust and encourages honest feedback.
- Demographics: age group, gender and visit type (outpatient, inpatient, emergency). Keep it to what you will actually use to segment results.
- Service quality: appointment booking, waiting time and clarity of information, each rated on the same 1 to 5 scale.
- Staff interaction: professionalism, empathy and communication of doctors, nurses and front-desk staff, asked separately so you know which group a low score belongs to.
- Facility: cleanliness, comfort and accessibility.
- Overall satisfaction: a single overall rating and a likelihood-to-recommend question, which give you a headline number to track.
- Open-ended questions: what went well and what could be better. These reveal issues the rated questions miss.
Top Patient Satisfaction Survey Template Examples
Example 1: Patient Satisfaction Survey With Answer Options
A one-page survey for patients to fill in after a visit, on paper or as an online form. Each question has its own answer options, so you also learn actual waiting times and how often staff were attentive. It starts with the patient's name and date.
- How would you rate the overall quality of care you received during your visit? (Excellent / Good / Fair / Poor)
- Were you satisfied with the level of communication from your healthcare provider? (Very satisfied / Satisfied / Neutral / Dissatisfied / Very dissatisfied)
- How long did you have to wait before being seen by a healthcare professional? (Less than 15 minutes / 15 to 30 minutes / 30 to 60 minutes / More than 60 minutes)
- Was the medical staff respectful and attentive to your needs and concerns? (Always / Often / Sometimes / Rarely / Never)
- How likely are you to recommend our healthcare facility to others? (Very likely / Likely / Neutral / Unlikely / Very unlikely)
Example 2: Patient Satisfaction Survey With a Smiley-Face Scale
The same five questions as Example 1, but every question is answered on one five-point face scale, which is quicker for patients and easier to average. The trade-off is that the waiting-time question gives a rating rather than the actual minutes waited. It suits a tablet or kiosk at the exit. The instruction reads: "On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with our services or products?"
- Name and date
- Answer scale for every question: (Bad / Poor / Average / Good / Excellent)
- Questions: overall quality of care; communication from your healthcare provider; waiting time before being seen; whether medical staff were respectful and attentive; how likely you are to recommend the facility
Best Practices for Patient Satisfaction Surveys
- Keep it short: focus on the areas you can act on. A survey patients can finish in a few minutes gets more complete answers.
- Use plain language: avoid medical jargon, and offer the survey in the languages your patients speak.
- Mix question types: rating scales for tracking, a few multiple-choice questions and one or two open-ended questions.
- Make it anonymous and say so: patients are more honest when they know their answers will not affect their care.
- Offer more than one format: online, paper and the patient portal, so it can be completed regardless of literacy level or disability.
- Pilot test and review it: try it with a small group of patients first, then update questions as services change.
- Brief your staff: staff who understand the survey's purpose encourage patients to take part.
Analyzing Survey Results
- Rated questions: track the average score and the share of low scores for each question, by department and month, to spot strengths and problem areas.
- Comments: code open-ended answers into themes (waiting, communication, cleanliness, billing) and count how often each appears.
- Benchmarks: compare with your previous surveys first; that is the most reliable way to measure progress and set realistic targets.
- Action plans: pick the few areas needing most attention, assign an owner to each, tell staff and patients what is changing, and use the next survey to check it worked.
Patient Satisfaction Survey Questions With Answer Options
The question bank below is grouped by stage of care, with answer options you can copy into your template. Choose the questions that fit your service: an outpatient clinic can leave out the admission, hospital stay and discharge rows, while an inpatient survey should keep them.
Answer Scales for Patient Satisfaction Surveys
Each scale has five points, matching the 1-5 Likert scale described above. Using the same few scales throughout keeps responses consistent and easy to compare.
| Scale | Answer options (lowest to highest) | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Satisfaction | Very dissatisfied, Dissatisfied, Neutral, Satisfied, Very satisfied | Wait times, communication, billing |
| Quality | Very poor, Poor, Average, Good, Excellent | Overall care, staff responsiveness, nursing attentiveness, food |
| Extent | Not at all, Slightly, Moderately, Very much, Completely | Explanations, involvement in decisions, time spent with you, privacy |
| Ease | Very difficult, Difficult, Neutral, Easy, Very easy | Admission, understanding instructions |
| Handling | Very poorly, Poorly, Neutral, Well, Very well | Pain management, complaint handling |
| Likelihood | Very unlikely, Unlikely, Neutral, Likely, Very likely | Recommending the hospital |
Sample Questions by Stage of Care
| Area | Question | Answer options |
|---|---|---|
| Admission (inpatients) | How easy was your admission process? | Ease |
| Admission (inpatients) | Was the information given during admission clear and easy to understand? | Extent |
| Waiting | How long did it take before the doctor attended to you? | Just as I expected / Longer than I wished for |
| Waiting | How satisfied were you with the wait time in the waiting area? | Satisfaction |
| Communication | How satisfied were you with how your doctors and nurses communicated with you? | Satisfaction |
| Communication | How well did the doctors explain your condition and treatment options? | Extent |
| Care | Did you feel involved in decisions about your treatment? | Extent |
| Care | Did you feel the doctors spent enough time with you? | Extent |
| Care | How well were your pain and symptoms managed? | Handling |
| Care | How would you rate the overall quality of care you received? | Quality |
| Staff | Did our staff show empathy towards your needs? | Not empathetic / Somewhat empathetic / Empathetic / Extremely empathetic |
| Staff | How would you rate the staff's responsiveness to your requests or concerns? | Quality |
| Staff | How would you rate the attentiveness of the nursing staff? | Quality |
| Staff | How well did the staff handle any complaints or concerns you had? | Handling |
| Hospital stay (inpatients) | How would you rate the quality of the food provided? | Quality |
| Hospital stay (inpatients) | Were noise levels in the hospital low enough for you to rest? | Yes / No |
| Hospital stay (inpatients) | Did you feel safe during your stay? | Yes / No |
| Hospital stay (inpatients) | Were your privacy and confidentiality respected? | Extent |
| Discharge | How easy were your discharge instructions to understand? | Ease |
| Discharge | Did you feel prepared to continue your care at home? | Extent |
| Discharge | Was the follow-up care process explained to you clearly? | Yes / No |
| Billing | How satisfied were you with the billing and payment process? | Satisfaction |
| Loyalty | How likely are you to recommend our hospital to family or friends? | Likelihood |
| Open-ended | What aspects of your visit were most satisfactory? | Free text |
| Open-ended | Can you describe any difficulties you experienced during your visit or stay? | Free text |
For department-specific questions, see our discharge process feedback template and billing and payment feedback template.
When and How Often To Run Patient Satisfaction Surveys
There is no single right frequency; it depends on your goals and patient volume. Common approaches are:
- After every visit or discharge: Gives continuous, timely feedback and is the recommended approach for inpatient surveys.
- At set intervals: For example quarterly or annually.
- After major service changes: Gathers timely feedback on what has changed.
Survey too rarely and you miss problems while they can still be fixed; survey the same patients too often and you cause survey fatigue.
Inpatient Experience Surveys
An inpatient experience survey covers the whole hospital stay: admission, care and treatment, the hospital environment (cleanliness, noise, comfort, food and safety), discharge and overall satisfaction. Send it shortly after discharge, so the experience is still fresh but the patient has had time to recover.
Real-Time Feedback During the Stay
A post-discharge survey describes the whole stay, but only after the patient has left. Collecting feedback during the stay, on smartphones, tablets or kiosks, lets staff fix problems while the patient is still in the hospital. The two complement each other: real-time feedback does not replace a full survey, including standardised ones such as the US HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey. Make one team responsible for reviewing it daily.
With a QR-code system such as LazyMonkey's hospital patient feedback system, patients answer by scanning a code with their own phone, with no app to install, and issues are escalated to the right person.
Common Patient Survey Mistakes and How To Avoid Them
| Mistake | Why it is a problem | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Vague questions | "Were you satisfied with your visit?" is too broad to act on | Ask about one specific area, such as "How would you rate the cleanliness of the examination room?" |
| Leading questions | Wording that suggests an answer produces biased results | Use neutral wording |
| Response bias | Patients may hold back criticism for fear it will affect their future care, or rate too positively out of gratitude | Keep the survey anonymous, say so clearly and ask neutral questions |
| Low response rates | Results become skewed and less representative of your patient population | Use several distribution channels and remind patients why their feedback matters |
| Ignoring open-ended answers | Comments take time to analyze, so they are often skipped and their insights lost | Code comments into categories and look for recurring themes |
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is A Patient Satisfaction Survey Template?
A patient satisfaction survey template is a structured tool used by healthcare providers to gather feedback from patients about their experiences and satisfaction with the services received.
Why Is Patient Satisfaction Important In Healthcare?
Patient satisfaction is crucial as it reflects the quality of care provided, impacts patient retention, and influences health outcomes. Satisfied patients are more likely to adhere to treatment plans and recommend the provider.
How Can I Ensure High Response Rates For My Patient Satisfaction Survey?
To ensure high response rates, keep the survey short and focused, use simple language, assure confidentiality, and send automated reminders to patients.
What Types Of Questions Should Be Included In A Patient Satisfaction Survey?
Include questions about service quality, staff interaction, facility feedback, overall satisfaction, and open-ended questions for detailed feedback.
How Often Should Patient Satisfaction Surveys Be Conducted?
It depends on your goals and patient volume. Many providers survey after every visit or discharge, while others run surveys at set intervals, such as quarterly, or after major service changes.
What Is An Inpatient Experience Survey?
It is a questionnaire for patients who stayed in hospital, covering the admission process, quality of care, hospital environment, discharge and overall satisfaction. It is best sent shortly after discharge.
Are Patient Satisfaction Surveys Anonymous?
Most are, because patients give more honest feedback when they know their responses are anonymous and confidential. Say so clearly at the start of the survey.
Filed under Feedback Form Templates · First published
