Key drivers of patient experience in ambulatory paediatric cardiology

Patient experience is becoming a central focus of healthcare. A broad range of studies on how to increase patient satisfaction ratings exists; however, they lack the specificity to adequately guide physicians and hospitals on how to improve patient experience. The objective of this study was to define the aspects of patient experience within paediatric cardiologist practices that can serve as predictors of excellent patient satisfaction. From 1 January, 2013 to 28 February, 2015 (26 months), outpatients who visited paediatric cardiologists were asked to complete a 39-question patient satisfaction survey regarding their experience. Surveys were collected over a 26-month period by Press Ganey, an independent provider of patient satisfaction surveys. Participants were asked to rate their experience on a 1-5 Likert-scale: a score of 1 demonstrated a poor experience, whereas a score of 5 demonstrated a very good experience. This retrospective study of 2468 responses determined that cheerfulness of the practice (r=0.85, p<0.001), a cohesive staff (r=0.83, p<0.001), and a care provider explaining problems and conditions (r=0.81, p<0.001) were key aspects of a paediatric cardiologist's practice that can be used as predictors of overall patient satisfaction. Awareness of how doctors can personalise a patient's experience is vital to achieve greater patient satisfaction and, ultimately, better patient outcomes.