2023 Patient Satisfaction Survey
All graphics courtesy of Hui Hoaka.
In KKV’s first year, four super aunties from the community, supported by our founding Executive Director Jory Watland, went door to door asking residents what they needed. Since then, KKV has honored these practices as we continue our grassroots approach to healthcare. Part of this process is conducting an annual Patient Satisfaction Survey to check in on our patients and community. Here are the results from the 2023 survey.
Across clinical settings at 5 KKV sites, 483 patients were surveyed, ranging in age from 18 to 65 and over. From this data, we were able to learn more about the demographics of our community and those we serve. We continue to see an array of ethnicities in Kalihi, the biggest populations being Filipino at 32%, Chuukese at 27%, and Asian at 12%. The smaller ethnic groups include Samoan, Hawaiian, and Marshallese. More than half of survey respondents said they have been a KKV patient for 6 or more years, while 23% have been a part of KKV for 2 to 5 years.
We are proud to report that in 2023, 99.56% of patients that were surveyed said they felt satisfied or very satisfied with the services they receive at KKV. This is a 3% jump from our overall satisfaction rate in 2022. So, what exactly does being “satisfied” mean to our patients? Based on survey responses, the main factors that led to overall satisfaction were respect, high quality care, and feeling at home.
Patients felt respected at KKV when they received a warm welcome from the staff. They say the providers are always so friendly and they leave feeling reassured about their health. Our patients feel they are getting high-quality care whenever they visit KKV. They say the doctors and nurses are always willing to help, and they take the time to explain everything every step of the way. Patients say KKV feels like home to them. One patient said, “KKV has been my family’s clinic, from my mom to me and my siblings, and now to my kids.” Another said, “I grew up in this clinic. I know the providers and the providers know me.” These reflections attest to the generational trust between KKV and our community, and we hope to uphold that standard of love and trust for generations to come.
While we are extremely proud of our near perfect patient satisfaction rating, no organization lacks flaws. We look to our patients and community for feedback and suggestions to improve our care and services. Based on patient responses, the areas we wish to focus on going forward are communication, operational services, and access to resources.
Many patients expressed a desire to improve the communication between patients and providers. They advised us to give clear, detailed instructions or advice, ask our patients questions, and listen patiently. They also want us to streamline operational services at KKV, to address long wait times, especially while on the phone. Patient suggestions included adding more staff to operate the phones and having more doctors on staff to streamline appointments. Respondents said they would also like to see improved facilities, including the elevator. We also learned that our patients would like access to more resources, such as telehealth appointments, online access to health records, interpreters of their choosing, and access to more online health videos.
88% percent of patients said they were able to see a provider when they needed to, which is a significant jump from 53% in 2022. But 12% of patients are still struggling with barriers to care. This survey allowed our patients to voice those concerns to us so that we can work toward alleviating those burdens. Those who said they were not able to see a provider as needed reported being too busy working or caring for a family member, unable to access transportation, unable to make appointments on time, or worried about bills. How can KKV support our patients in those areas? One way is to offer more appointments and services through telehealth. The survey showed that 99 people are interested in learning more about telehealth, a big increase from 50 people in 2022. In 2023, more patients also asked for more call or text reminders about their appointments.
Caring for and serving our community is and always has been KKV’s main mission, and we would not be able to continue to improve those services without feedback from the community. Hearing from our patients is integral to how we operate our sites across Kalihi, and we will continue to do so for generations to come, just like our super aunties taught us.
