Introduction

At AZ Jan Palfijn, a leading European hospital, the collection of patient satisfaction surveys goes beyond assessing service quality — it's a government requirement akin to the CAHPS surveys in the United States. The surveys are essential in unlocking additional funding and upholding the hospital's reputation. Karen Duprez, the Process Optimization Manager, faced a significant challenge: transforming this task from a time-consuming burden into an efficient, streamlined process.

Seeking to enhance efficiency, Karen chose Awell, known for their clinical workflow automation platform. Her objective was ambitious yet clear - automate patient satisfaction surveys, going beyond just meeting governmental requirements. 

Problem: Navigating a Sea of Paper-Based Surveys

Before Awell, the way to collect patient satisfaction surveys triggered a cascade of manual tasks – from printing and distributing bundles of surveys to various departments to collecting them from patients. Each completed form then had to be transcribed into a templated spreadsheet, a task as time-consuming as it was prone to human error. 

This process, consuming about 130 hours annually to meet the government mandate of obtaining a total of 800 surveys each year, was a source of dread for the staff. No one looked forward to the monotonous, soul-sapping task of manually transcribing responses into a spreadsheet.

Solution: Shifting from Manual Labor to Automated Efficiency

To address these challenges, AZ Jan Palfijn implemented Awell. After a few weeks, the hospital’s patient satisfaction survey process was fully digitized and integrated with its existing systems, enabling automatic, department-specific survey distribution to patients upon discharge. 

Awell’s impact became evident from day one. “Integrating Awell into our system was a turning point,” said Karen Duprez. “The speed and efficiency it brought to handling patient surveys are remarkable.” 

Besides automating the survey distribution, Awell ensures that all collected data is formatted in compliance with government standards, ready for a more seamless submission. 

Results: Surpassing Governmental Requirements While Saving 128 Hours Per Year 

“With Awell, we achieved a 41,5% survey completion rate, totalling 874 surveys in the first period. This surpassed the governmental requirement of collecting 400 surveys twice per year by 218%, demonstrating Awell’s clear impact,” said Karen.

However, Awell’s value does not stop there. While the government mandates data collection for only 12 weeks annually, AZ Jan Palfijn decided to maintain year-round data collection, driven by the simplicity and efficiency Awell offers. This commitment reflects their dedication to continuous learning and enhancing patient satisfaction, setting new standards beyond mere compliance.

Most notably, Awell reduced AZ Jan Palfijn’s manual work from 130 hours to less than 2 hours per year. The elimination of this time-consuming task freed them to channel their efforts into enhancing other processes and improving various aspects of patient care and satisfaction. With Awell on their side, they’re ready to continue raising the bar and showcasing their commitment to exceptional care.