Survey Reveals Americans’ Frustrations With the Healthcare System

MDVIP's "Patient Frustration Index." Image Credit: MDVIP

According to a new survey from MDVIP, 61% of Americans are feeling that the US healthcare system is a hassle, while 53% report feeling it’s trending in an impersonal direction by treating patients more like a number rather than a human being.

The nationwide study—which was conducted by Ipsos—used its probability-based KnowledgePanel to discover that half of Americans scored high on the “Patient Frustration Index,” which helps determine healthcare pain points.

The survey also found that:

• In the past five years, 1 in 3 Americans have delayed or skipped care due to either a negative healthcare experience or failure to get an appointment in a timely manner.
• Adults ages 26-44 (43%) and women (37%) are more likely to postpone care due to the reasons above.
• 1 in 4 Americans report having an adverse event because of their experience with the healthcare system. This includes a health issue that has gotten worse (17%), a mental health having been negatively affected (14%), and a missed or delayed diagnosis (11%).

"The myriad frustrations of waiting months for a doctor's appointment and chasing down answers are all too familiar and even accepted by many Americans as the status quo. But our research shows that poor interactions with the healthcare system are not only deterring people from going to the doctor, but also making them sicker," said Dr. Andrea Klemes, MDVIP’s chief medical officer. "Growing demand among consumers for a better experience across the healthcare journey places increasing pressure on providers to focus more on the patient and effectively engage those who are avoiding care."

Reference

Patient Frustration Surges: Americans Struggle with Broken Healthcare System. MDVIP. News release. February 27, 2024. Accessed February 28, 2024. https://www.mdvip.com/about-mdvip/press-room/patient-frustration-surges-americans-struggle-broken-healthcare-system