The overall number of patients who would definitely recommend a hospital to others decreased by 4.5 percent during the pandemic, reflecting a national decrease in patients’ perceptions of care across all care settings, according to a Press Ganey survey published Nov. 4.
Researchers conducted a national HCAHPS analysis to gauge shifts in the likelihood of patients to recommend their healthcare experience to family and friends since the onset of the pandemic.
Key findings:
- The overall number of patients who rated their hospital experience a 10 out of 10, with 0 being the worst hospital possible and 10 being the best hospital possible, also decreased by 4 percent.
- Seventy-five percent of COVID-19 patients would definitely recommend a hospital to their family and friends, compared to 72 percent of non-COVID-19 patients.
- Medical practices saw the greatest decreases in likelihood to recommend scores regarding patients’ ability to access timely care.
- Emergency departments saw the greatest decrease in scores around getting care within 30 minutes of showing up.
- New England states saw the greatest decrease in patients’ likelihood to recommend while Southeastern states saw least change in patients’ perceptions.