Mini-Surveys

• Creating a measurement plan
• Mini-surveys
• Third next available appointment
• Defect check sheets
• Patient flow sheets
• Sampling plan

Detailed, multi-question surveys are useful for determining a baseline for quality, analyzing the possible causes of poor quality and identifying potential solutions.  However, once ideas for change have been identified, it is then time to test them out.  For this purpose, mini-surveys are an excellent tool.  Mini-surveys can show whether a particular small test of change is resulting in improvement, and provide data for the ‘Study’ part of the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. 

Steps in administering a mini-survey:

1. Design your survey:  Select your questions, keeping them simple and limiting the number of questions to 1 to 5. See below for sample questions and response scales.
2. Pre-test them on about 5 to 10 people beforehand.
3. Create a sampling plan.  
4. Identify a distribution and collection method.  Collect data immediately after the service is provided if possible.  A simple one or half-page paper survey works well.  Avoid mail or phone surveys weeks after the service is provided.
5. Provide some anonymous method of depositing the survey (i.e. shoebox with a slot), to protect patient confidentiality. 
6. Option:  create a simple check sheet where each person giving out surveys marks a tick for each one handed out.  This will allow you to calculate an overall response rate. 
   

Sample question templates:

Question Style and Response Scale

Choose your preferred question style and response scale:

Method 1.  Tell us if you agree or disagree with the following statements:

It was easy for me to get an appointment. 
strongly disagree | disagree | agree | strongly agree

Method 2.  In the past , how often did we
never | sometimes | usually | always

Method 3.  How would you rate the quality of the ?

Poor---------------------Excellent
1          2          3          4          5

Tips:
To keep things simple, try to use just one response scale in the mini-survey. 
With Method 3, good vs. bad quality is the most obvious. 
Method 1 can be useful if you have multiple questions asking different things (good satisfaction vs. bad, easy usability vs. difficult, fast access vs. slow). 

Sample Questions: 

Try questions which relate specifically to the idea you are testing.  Examples:

                                   

	Poor——————————Excellent     1           2            3            4            5
Overall, how would you rate this new program/service/idea?
How would you rate the content in this new pamphlet?

Sample Questions:  Patient Experience

You can include questions of global satisfaction (first two questions below), but beware that you may not see a change in response to some test idea quickly. 

	Poor——————————Excellent     1           2            3            4            5
How would you rate the quality of care provided by ?
Overall, how would you rate our quality of care?

More specific questions about patient satisfaction or experience may detect sooner any changes to quality resulting from your PDSA cycles. 

                                   

During your {hospital stay, visit with us today, etc.}, how well did we:	Poor——————————Excellent     1           2            3            4            5
Listen to your concerns about …
Provide you information about…
Answer your questions about…
Give you choices about your treatment?
Treat you with courtesy and respect?

Sample Questions:  Access to Care

                                                           

Please tell us if you agree or disagree with the following statements:	Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Agree | Strongly Agree
It was easy to get through to us by phone.
I could get an appointment time that was .
I didn’t have to wait long to get an appointment.
I didn’t have to wait long to be seen.

For access, time based measurements give you even more information: 

How long did you have to wait before being seen ? 

How long was it between when you requested an appointment and the actual date of your appointment?   ____ days

Other Design Features:

1. For printed mini-surveys, aim to keep to one page, or even half a page or a small card. 
   
2. The name of the provider group administering the survey should be clearly stated.
3. Include a thank you.  
4. Provide a space for other comments.