In my hospital, I am having a hard time explaining the
advantages of telephone over mail for patient surveys. 
Which is really cheaper?

Response:

For patient surveys, mail does seem cheaper at a glance.  Seeming cheaper is not quite the same as being cheaper, however.  Inexpensive invalid data is not “cheaper” because invalid data isn’t worth anything.  Therefore, it is important to ask slightly different questions when choosing a survey methodology for patient research:  Which is most reliable? Which is most cost-effective?

The key to getting valid results is to use valid methodologies, and the key to being cost-effective is to be inexpensive and effective.  Below, we have provided you with a chart that clearly demonstrates the cost, accuracy and usability advantages of telephone over mail for patient survey research.  

With phone surveys, you are not “stuck” with the survey tool—changes can be made at any time during the process with ease.  This gives you the ability to rapidly respond to new issues or dig deeper into existing issues on the fly.  With mail surveys, what you print is what you have.

One of the most important advantages of telephone over mail relates to the timeliness of the survey results.  Mail surveys can trickle in over months, or not come back at all.  An industry leader in client satisfaction and rapid survey turnaround, HealthStream Research strives to survey patients by telephone within days of discharge. 

So, why is rapid turnaround so important?

• Our research has proven that inpatient, outpatient, and emergency patients surveyed before receiving their bill are more satisfied than those who are surveyed afterwards
• The longer the time span from discharge to survey, the higher the chance that the patient has changed contact info (changed phone number, moved, etc.)
• The patient will remember fewer details about his/her experience as time goes on, and the less the patient remembers, the less likely he/she is to be engaged enough to take the survey
• If the patient had more than one visit to the hospital (and the longer you wait to survey, the more likely this will be the case), the patient may become confused about which experience to focus on.

HealthStream Research believes that the sooner a patient is surveyed after discharge, the higher the quality of data.  It is also more meaningful to compare your survey results obtained from recent patient experiences with a database that is comprised of survey results collected within the same time frame.  HealthStream Research’s phone survey results are reported by discharge date—not by when the data comes in, which can be a significant issue with mail surveys when used for patient trending studies.

When results are tied to the discharge date and segmented down to the unit-specific level, you can identify best practices, high performing teams, and key employees deserving accolades—and with the rapid turnaround of our phone surveys, you can do all of this within days.  “When a hospital needs timely and accurate trending, phone surveys are the way to go.  If you want to know how a specific period of time affected patient satisfaction, you have to know which results came from that period, and you have to get the data fast.  Phone surveys—administered properly, of course—give you speed and accuracy,” says Senior Research Director, Andy Gage.  “Who wants to wait three months to discover a problem born last week?”

HealthStream Research’s commitment to fast survey turnaround provides you with:

• Fast results that allow you to act quickly—discover and address issues in your hospital now, not months from now.  With healthcare costs constantly increasing, it will be far more cost-effective to tackle these issues sooner rather than later.

• High response rates and timely results—you’ll have fresh, valid and actionable data
• Increased staff buy-in for your quality improvement initiatives with the ability to provide “In the Moment” feedback and accolades to your employees and medical staff—let them know what patients recently thought of the quality of their care

“Invalid results are, for all intents and purposes, worthless, no matter how little you pay for them,” says our Vice President of Data Analysis and Reporting, Berke Bilbay.  “I support telephone for patient surveys not just because it is cheaper and easier—as an analyst and statistician, I demand scientifically valid and fresh data, and that’s what telephone surveys provide, end of story.  The fact that phone surveys actually are cheaper and easier just makes the case all the more compelling for patient research!”

Do you have a question you’d like to send to our team of experts?  Send an email to researchinfo@healthstream.com, and our interdisciplinary team of experts will provide you with a detailed answer.  Please specify if you wish to remain anonymous.