7 Nursing Interventions to Increase Patient Satisfaction, Decrease Wait Times

• High wait times can decrease patient satisfaction with their medical provider. 
• But nurses can lessen wait times through the seven interventions detailed here. 
• Strategies should be implemented to keep medical departments running as smoothly as possible so nurses can provide quality care.  

Have you ever gotten to your scheduled medical appointment on time or early just to end up waiting well past your scheduled time? Then once you’re in front of the provider, your time is rushed and the visit cut short.  

You leave the appointment upset and with several unaddressed questions and concerns. This is a common complaint among patients today, and it’s easy to understand their frustration, as many medical professionals have experienced this issue personally.  

Negative Effects of Increased Patient Wait Times 

• Extended patient wait time detracts from patient experience and interrupts the department flow. This results in a negative experience for the patient, physician, and nursing staff.  
• Staff may miss breaks, incur overtime, and be subjected to angry and verbally abusive patients.  
• The number of patients a physician can see in a day decreases, delaying appointments for other patients.  
• Less time between the patient and physician. 
• Physicians may lose patients due to patient dissatisfaction. 

Nursing Interventions that Can Increase Patient Satisfaction 

1. Collect patient information in advance: Waiting until the patient arrives to collect information takes extra time. Some patients may take longer to fill out forms than others, so it is wise to prepare paperwork for tomorrow’s patients today. 
2. Separate phone work from check-ins: Nurses should prioritize patients currently at the facility for their appointment over patients who are calling in or leaving messages. Taking care of the patients in front of you first and managing phone messages and calls when you have time between patients will help ensure consistent flow and decrease wait times.  
3. Keep phone calls efficient and quick: It is important to keep patient phone calls as efficient and quick as possible while ensuring communication of all pertinent information to the patient. If the patient on the phone has in-depth questions or non-emergent health concerns, offer to schedule an in-person visit to discuss further.  
4. Create time between patients: This allows the provider to finish paperwork, prescriptions, and physician notes from the previous patient before moving on to the next. It will also allow you to complete any nursing documentation required to finalize the appointment in the patient’s medical record.  
5. Communicate delays to patients: Waiting past your scheduled time is already frustrating and little to no communication about why (or when they can expect to be seen) only adds to that frustration. Reaching out during delays can save the department from further patient dissatisfaction. Ignoring the fact that patients are waiting and acting as if nothing happened is bound to intensify a negative experience and create barriers between the patient and the provider or nurse.  
6. Patient portals: Make sure patients know how to access and utilize their patient portal if the facility provides them. Encouraging patients to use patient portals, where they can complete paperwork and submit insurance updates, can decrease wait times. This will ensure the patient is ready when the physician is.  
7. Suggest enforcing a policy for late arrivals: Patients who show up late throw off the day’s schedule. Instituting a clear policy for late arrivals or rescheduling can reduce wait times. 

The Bottom Line

Increased patient wait times is a common problem in today’s healthcare system. Many medical facilities are overwhelmed with the increased volume of patients who delayed care during the pandemic. We must implement strategies and work together to keep our medical departments running as smoothly as possible. If you have any suggestions on how your specific department can improve patient satisfaction and decrease patient wait times, please speak up. Several successful medical facility adaptations are from staff observations and suggestions. I hope these nurse interventions will be useful when decreasing patient wait times and increasing patient satisfaction at your facility. 

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