Do They Really Want to Know?

 

November 12, 2020

 

I got an email asking me to fill out a survey about my experience at a medical facility. So I did.

 

I arrived for a scheduled COVID test, as required for a procedure I’m having next week, and called from the parking lot as directed. Not knowing where to go, I left a message with my phone number and waited for a response. A few minutes later I walked to the building to see where I should go.

At the door, I saw a sign saying that COVID appointments were done in the rear of the building. As there was no indication whether that meant inside or outside, I went in. A staff member directed me to park behind the building in one of the numbered spots, and mentioned that people had been waiting for a while.

I thought that a sign as one entered the parking lot would have been more helpful than one at the door.

I parked in a numbered slot, then called, then called again, always getting an answering machine. I saw staff members walking back and forth with testing gear, but 40 minutes later, I was still waiting. A car pulled up next to me and was seen immediately, so I asked the nurse why I was still waiting. She asked if I'd tried the number, and told me to keep trying. 4 calls later, I called my doctor's office and asked them to notify someone at the clinic that things were not going as they should. As I was pacing outside while talking on the phone, I noticed several other people dialing and redialing—apparently they were having the same experience I was. The nurse put me next in line, and said that she would notify someone that she had done my test.

I don't have any real confidence that the information will actually be processed properly, so I hope that I don't have COVID, and won't spread it, because I may never find out from your facility.

The staff that I DID interact with was wonderful.

 

At the end of the survey, the last slide said, “We value your feedback.” I wonder if they’ll even read it.