Patient surveys might not sound glamorous but they’re one of the most powerful tools we’ve got for making care better. The trouble is not all surveys are worth the paper – or pixel – they’re printed on. If you’re not using the right method for the right crowd, you’re basically asking the wrong questions the wrong way – and expecting magic.
At Canopy Associates, we’ve helped hundreds of clinics and hospitals stop guessing and start listening. Here’s a no-nonsense guide to choosing the right survey tool that actually gets you the answers you need.
The first and most important step is identifying what you want to know. That goal drives everything else.
Goal | Best Method(s) |
|---|---|
Real-time service recovery | Tablet/kiosk at visit, text, or email |
Broad satisfaction (e.g., NPS) | Text, email, tablet |
Compliance or benchmarking (CAHPS) | Mailed paper only |
Rural or older populations | Paper or phone surveys |
Community health insights | Open-ended text or email formats |
A high-tech email survey won’t land with a low-tech audience. Take time to review your patient base:
Patient Group | Recommended Methods |
|---|---|
Younger, tech-comfortable | Text, email |
Older adults | Paper, phone, kiosk |
Non-English speakers | Bilingual tablet or paper |
Low literacy | Phone or simplified touchscreen surveys |
Each method has strengths and drawbacks. Knowing these in advance helps you prepare operationally:
Text: Fast and efficient, but you’ll need current mobile numbers.
Email: Great for detail, but open rates can be low.
Tablet/Kiosk: Strong for onsite feedback but needs staff oversight.
Paper: Familiar, but time-consuming to process.
Mail: Often necessary for CAHPS, but expensive and slow.
The most successful organizations combine strategies:
Use text/email for quick Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys.
Add a tablet at checkout for richer insight.
Run quarterly paper surveys to meet regulatory requirements.
A layered approach gives you actionable data across different timeframes and patient segments.
Start with one primary and one backup method. Don’t try to boil the ocean. Focus on:
Making the survey short and accessible.
Tying results directly to team coaching and service recovery.
Building consistency over time.
Even the best survey on the planet is useless if nobody fills it out, or worse, if it collects dust in a drawer. The real secret? Keep it simple. Make it easy. And most importantly, do something with the results. A solid feedback loop isn’t just good practice – it’s how you turn patient voices into real-world improvements.
Need a hand building something that actually works? Give us a shout at Canopy Associates. We don’t just gather data – we help you do something with it.
Dr. Angie Schierer is an accomplished C-suite executive consultant specializing in rural healthcare administration. With a robust background in operations, quality, process improvement, and team development, she thrives on tackling new challenges and leading diverse teams through transformational growth and innovative thinking.
Ready to put Angie and our team to work for you? Contact us today to get started!