Patient Experience Glossary

Introduction to Patient Experience in Healthcare
Patient experience in healthcare refers to the sum of all interactions patients have with medical providers, staff, facilities, and digital touchpoints throughout their care journey. It encompasses everything from appointment scheduling and wait times to provider communication, treatment explanations, and follow-up care. A positive patient experience builds trust, enhances engagement, and directly impacts health outcomes.

Healthcare organizations that prioritize patient experience create a more seamless and empathetic care journey. By actively listening to patient feedback, leveraging technology, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, providers can reduce friction points and deliver more personalized, high-quality care. As healthcare shifts toward a consumer-driven model, patient experience is becoming a key differentiator for hospitals, clinics, and digital health platforms.

What Are Barriers in Communication in Nursing?

How do barriers impact patient safety?

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How Does Active Listening Result in Better Patient Care?

What impact does it have on recovery?

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What Are Barriers to Communication in Healthcare?

How do language barriers affect care?

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What Is Active Listening in Healthcare?

How does it improve satisfaction?

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What Are Patient Rights?

How do they impact healthcare?

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What Is a National Healthcare Survey?

Who conducts them?

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What Is the Patient Bill of Rights?

How does it protect patients?

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What Are Clinic Surveys?

How do they differ from healthcare surveys?

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What Is a Healthcare Survey?

How do hospitals use them?

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What Are Patient Experience Solutions?

How do they improve hospital operations?

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What Are Patient Outcomes?

How do hospitals track them?

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What Is Patient Experience Software?

What are key features?

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What Is Patient Feedback Software?

How does it improve healthcare?

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What Are Patient Satisfaction Questions?

How should questions be structured?

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What Is Patient Survey Software?

How does automation improve survey collection?

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What Is a Patient Feedback Survey?

How do hospitals collect feedback?

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What Are Patient Satisfaction Examples?

How do hospitals use feedback?

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What Is a Patient Experience Survey?

What are their benefits?

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What Is Patient Experience Training?

How does it help?

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What Is a Certified Patient Experience Professional?

What skills do they gain?

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What Are Patient Experience Measures?

What is the difference between measures and metrics?

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What Is a Patient Satisfaction Survey?

How do hospitals use them?

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What Are Patient Experience Metrics?

How do hospitals track them?

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What Is Patient Experience Certification?

How does certification improve patient interactions?

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How to Measure Patient Engagement?

Why is tracking patient engagement data important?

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How to Improve Patient Experience?

How can hospitals enhance patient experience?

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What Is Patient Engagement?

How can technology improve patient engagement?

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What Is a Patient Engagement Platform?

What are the advantages of using a patient engagement platform?

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What Is Patient Engagement Software?

How does patient engagement software benefit healthcare providers?

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What Is Patient Experience?

How does patient experience impact healthcare outcomes?

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FAQS

What is patient experience in healthcare?

Patient experience refers to the overall interactions and perceptions a patient has with healthcare providers, facilities, and digital touch points throughout their care journey.

How is patient experience different from patient satisfaction?

Patient experience focuses on objective measures like communication, wait times, and care coordination, while patient satisfaction is a subjective measure of how patients feel about their care.

Why is patient experience important in healthcare?

A great patient experience isn't just about satisfaction—it leads to better health outcomes, higher adherence to treatment plans, and stronger patient-provider relationships. When patients feel heard, respected, and supported, they are more likely to trust their providers and take an active role in their care. On the business side, hospitals with higher patient experience scores see improved retention, reduced readmission rates, and stronger reputations in the industry. Investing in patient experience isn’t just good ethics—it’s smart healthcare strategy.

How can healthcare providers improve patient experience?

Providers can enhance patient experience by improving communication, reducing wait times, offering digital self-service tools, and actively gathering and acting on patient feedback.

What are key metrics used to measure patient experience?

Common metrics include Net Promoter Score (NPS), Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores, patient satisfaction surveys, and online reviews.

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