Best questions for patient survey about discharge instructions clarity

Here are some of the best questions for a patient survey about discharge instructions clarity, plus tips for designing them. You can build one with Specific and start collecting feedback in seconds.

Best open-ended questions to ask in a patient survey on discharge instructions clarity

Open-ended questions help us learn what patients really think, letting them share experiences in their own words. They're especially powerful for uncovering why instructions may not be clear, and they’re crucial when addressing something as complex as discharge understanding. According to studies, only about 59.6% of patients can accurately describe their diagnosis post-discharge—showing just how much clarity matters here [2].

1. Can you describe in your own words what you understood about your diagnosis upon discharge?

2. What questions, if any, did you have after receiving your discharge instructions?

3. Were there any parts of the discharge instructions that were confusing or unclear to you?

4. How did the instructions help you understand what to do once you were home?

5. Is there something you wish had been explained better before you left the hospital?

6. Did you feel comfortable asking questions before leaving? Why or why not?

7. What improvements would you suggest for the discharge instructions you received?

8. Did the format (verbal, written, video) of the discharge instructions impact your understanding?

9. What concerns did you have about your care or needs once you got home?

10. Can you share an example of when following the discharge instructions was challenging?

Best single-select multiple-choice questions for a patient survey about discharge instructions clarity

Single-select multiple-choice questions work well when we want to quantify responses or get people talking by offering easy starting points. Sometimes, picking from a list is less daunting for patients than writing out their thoughts—especially when feedback is quick or follow-up is planned. For example, studies show that recall rates for post-discharge instructions vary dramatically based on how information is delivered—47% for verbal, 58% for written, and 67% for video instructions [3]. These question types can help pinpoint which methods help most people.

Question: How clear were the discharge instructions you received?

• Very clear

• Somewhat clear

• Not clear at all

Question: In which format did you receive your discharge instructions?

• Verbal explanation only

• Written instructions

• Video demonstration

• Other

Question: Did you feel comfortable asking follow-up questions before leaving?

• Yes

• No

• I did not have any questions

When to follow up with “why”? Whenever a patient selects a more negative or ambiguous answer (“Somewhat clear”, “No”, “Other”), a quick “why?” helps us uncover the reasons behind it. For example, if someone says the instructions were only “Somewhat clear”, ask: “Could you share what made the instructions difficult to understand?” That extra nudge gets us clarity and actionable suggestions.

When and why to add the “Other” choice? If you’re listing formats, issues, or sources of confusion, it’s smart to add an “Other” option. People’s experiences vary; unexpected feedback can reveal opportunities for improvement you didn’t anticipate. Then, use a follow-up: “Please describe what you meant by ‘Other’.”

The NPS question and its place in patient discharge clarity surveys

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a proven, standardized way to measure whether someone would recommend your service. In healthcare, it’s often adapted to reflect overall satisfaction or clarity—fitting perfectly with discharge instructions. An improved NPS after revising instructions directly ties to better patient experiences and even adherence—one study showed that satisfaction increased from 83% to 84.7% after revising discharge materials [4]. Using an AI-powered NPS survey for discharge instructions clarity gives a good overall benchmark, while letting you ask for comments on low scores for deeper insight.

The power of follow-up questions

Follow-up questions have a massive impact on the depth and usefulness of survey feedback. Automated follow-up questions transform what would be a flat, static survey into a nuanced and conversational interview—especially useful for complex topics like patient understanding. Specific’s AI dynamically generates these follow-ups in context to clarify unclear responses and draw out details only an expert interviewer would know to ask.

This is a huge time-saver—think about how many times you’d otherwise have to send an email thread to clarify survey responses. With Specific, the AI asks smart follow-ups in the moment, so fewer responses remain vague and misunderstood.

• Patient: “The instructions were fine.”

• AI follow-up: “When you say ‘fine’, can you share if there was anything you found confusing or needed more detail about?”

How many followups to ask? Two or three well-aimed follow-up questions are usually enough to dig into unclear or incomplete initial answers. At Specific, you can set how persistent the AI should be, and it’ll gracefully move on to the next question once the right level of detail is gathered.

This makes it a conversational survey. The survey feels much more like a helpful chat than a cold form—making patients more likely to respond honestly and fully.

AI survey response analysis: Even when you have a pile of open responses, modern AI—like the tools in Specific—make it fast and easy to analyze survey answers, spot trends, and summarize recommendations. It’s the best of both worlds: richer feedback, easy reporting.

These automated followup questions are a new concept. Try generating a survey to see how different and human the experience feels.

How to prompt AI (like ChatGPT) to generate better patient survey questions

If you want to use AI to come up with survey questions, being specific in your prompt is everything. Start with:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for Patient survey about discharge instructions clarity.

But, the more context the AI has about your goals, the better your questions get. For example, highlight your setting, what you want to learn, and who your audience is:

Imagine you're writing survey questions for patients at a busy community hospital, aiming to identify exactly where discharge instructions create confusion so improvements can be made. Generate open-ended questions to get patients to describe both what was clear and what was unclear after discharge.

Then, use prompts to organize and refine questions:

Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.

Review the categories, choose which areas matter most, and prompt again:

Generate 10 questions for categories “understanding instructions” and “comfort asking follow-up questions”.

What is a conversational survey—and why use AI to make one?

A conversational survey feels like a real chat instead of a dull form. Our AI survey builder lets you design and launch these in minutes (or less). The difference over traditional surveys? It’s night and day. Here’s a quick comparison:

Why use AI for patient surveys? AI helps you surface what really matters, fast. You get richer insights, fewer gaps in understanding, and a more human experience for patients and creators. With the AI Survey Generator, you create better surveys, faster, and analyze them just as quickly.

If you want a step-by-step walkthrough, see our guide on how to create a patient survey about discharge instructions clarity.

Specific’s conversational surveys stand out with best-in-class user experience, making feedback effortless for both you and your patients.

See this discharge instructions clarity survey example now

Ready to get truly actionable feedback and discover what your patients really understand? See how fast insights and game-changing improvements happen with conversational, AI-driven survey questions—powered by Specific.