{"id":51875,"date":"2021-11-18T13:24:49","date_gmt":"2021-11-18T18:24:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/?p=51875"},"modified":"2026-04-28T06:31:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T10:31:17","slug":"employee-engagement-patient-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/employee-engagement-patient-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"How Employee Engagement Can Foster a Better Patient Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ready for a check-up on the service you provide? We’ve recently discussed the importance of understanding the differences between voice of the patient, patient satisfaction, and patient experience to know what really matters. (Catch up\u00a0here<\/a>!). Now it\u2019s time to delve deeper into the metrics you can change to help improve the patient experience.<\/p>\n

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Imagine: You walk into a clinic with a stomach ache, and you can\u2019t really stand up without wanting to fall. At one of your worst moments, you’ve come to a place that you know can help you feel better.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFill out these papers,\u201d an admission clerk says, tossing a clipboard in your direction before turning back to her personal cellphone conversation. There you are, left waiting for over an hour before ….<\/p>\n

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We don\u2019t need to go on much further with this scenario to understand no one wants to be treated this way, even if they are feeling well. In most healthcare settings, people tend to be at their most vulnerable and require compassionate care.<\/p>\n

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There is one factor that explains the employee\u2019s actions and \u2014 by virtue of experiencing it \u2014 the patient\u2019s negative experience:\u00a0Employee engagement.<\/p>\n

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Employee engagement<\/a> is the emotional and intellectual commitment an employee expresses toward their job, manager, and the organization. The employee described above is disengaged, disinterested in doing the bare minimum of their job, and because of this, the employee’s actions impact every aspect of the patient experience.<\/p>\n

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So how do we change this scenario, and why is employee engagement so important for the patient experience?<\/p>\n

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The Four Pillars of the Patient Experience<\/h2>\n

As we\u2019ve defined, patient experience<\/a> is the sum of all interactions, shaped by an organization\u2019s culture, that influences patient perceptions across the continuum of care. Using this as a springboard, we can trace how employee engagement has a profound influence on the four pillars of patient experience.<\/p>\n

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Interaction<\/h2>\n

Interaction<\/em> is a broad word here, but it covers all touchpoints \u2014 from patient to healthcare workers, locations, contacts, and more. The employee described above was the first personal contact \u2014 or touchpoint \u2014 for the patient coming into the clinic. The patient wasn’t greeted with a smile, wasn\u2019t treated with respect, and wasn’t granted any sense of value.<\/p>\n

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Studies show there is a direct correlation between employee engagement and satisfaction to the patient experience. Press Ganey published a report<\/a> showing that individual employees with high satisfaction\/engagement tend to have high patient satisfaction scores.<\/p>\n

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A fully engagement employee is:<\/p>\n

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