Best questions for patient survey about imaging services experience

Here are some of the best questions for a patient survey about imaging services experience, plus tips on designing surveys that actually gather useful feedback. With Specific, you can generate a tailored survey in seconds—no expert required.

Best open-ended questions for patient survey about imaging services experience

Open-ended questions work best when you want honest, unfiltered insights from your patients. They allow respondents to share what truly matters to them—in their own words—making it easier to uncover recurring pain points, memorable moments (good or bad), and ideas you might never have thought to ask about. Especially in healthcare, where patient journeys are personal and complex, open-ended feedback is gold.

Here are the 10 best open-ended questions to ask patients about their imaging services experience:

1. Can you describe your most recent imaging appointment from start to finish?

2. What stood out to you, either positively or negatively, during your visit to the imaging department?

3. How did you feel about the process of scheduling your imaging appointment?

4. Were you satisfied with the wait times at any stage of your visit? Why or why not?

5. If anything could have been better, what would you change about your imaging experience?

6. How clearly did staff explain the imaging procedure and any next steps?

7. What can we do to make you feel more comfortable and at ease during your imaging appointments?

8. Do you feel you received your results and follow-up communication in a timely way? Please explain.

9. Were there any barriers—such as cost, transport, or language—that made your experience difficult?

10. Is there anything else you’d like us to know about your visit or care?

By focusing on patient perspective, these open prompts help you discover what matters most. For example, studies show that wait times and ease of making appointments are key satisfaction drivers—with notable gaps in many regions[1][2][3].

Best single-select multiple-choice questions for patient survey about imaging services experience

Single-select multiple-choice questions are perfect when you need to quantify responses—for benchmarking or identifying trends. These questions jumpstart the conversation and make it easier for patients who may not know where to start. They’re also useful when you want to measure the impact of service improvements across large groups.

Question: How easy was it to schedule your imaging appointment?

• Very easy

• Somewhat easy

• Somewhat difficult

• Very difficult

Question: How satisfied were you with the wait time before your imaging procedure?

• Very satisfied

• Somewhat satisfied

• Not satisfied

• Other

Question: How clearly did staff explain your imaging procedure?

• Very clearly

• Somewhat clearly

• Not clearly

• I did not receive an explanation

When to follow up with "why?" Often, if a patient chooses an answer like “Somewhat difficult” or “Not satisfied,” it’s smart to immediately ask “Why?” This simple follow-up uncovers the story or detail behind the score. For example—if a patient says they were “Not satisfied” with wait times, a follow-up like “Can you tell us more about what contributed to your dissatisfaction?” unlocks actionable insight, pinpointing issues such as lack of updates or uncomfortable waiting areas.

When and why to add the "Other" choice? If your answer list can’t cover all patient experiences, including “Other” (with an open field) is essential. This ensures you capture diverse perspectives and avoid forcing patients into boxes. Plus, follow-up questions on “Other” responses often deliver surprising ideas and needs that structured options would miss.

Should you use an NPS question?

NPS (Net Promoter Score) is a standardized question: “How likely are you to recommend our imaging services to a friend or family member?” rated from 0–10. It’s a powerful way to benchmark patient loyalty and predict word-of-mouth. For imaging services, NPS helps track how improvements in efficiency or communication impact overall trust and advocacy. Even in high-performing settings, NPS can reveal where “satisfied” patients might still hesitate to recommend the service—uncovering opportunities for delight and retention.

If you want to quickly create an NPS survey for imaging experiences, try our NPS survey template just for healthcare settings.

The power of follow-up questions

Great surveys don’t end with one question; they dig deeper using follow-up questions. Specific’s automatic AI follow-up questions are designed to probe context, clarify ambiguity, and capture stories that one-and-done surveys simply miss. With AI-driven follow-ups, every survey turns into a genuine conversation—the system adapts in real time, just like a top-notch researcher would in a live interview.

• This saves huge amounts of time and hassle compared to emailing or calling patients later for clarification.

• It feels natural and respectful, helping patients share more detail without frustration.

Here’s how things can go wrong when follow-ups are missing:

• Patient: “I had an issue at check-in.”

• AI follow-up: “Can you tell me more about what happened during check-in?”

Without the follow-up, we’d just get, “An issue”—not nearly enough context for improvement!

How many follow-ups to ask? Generally, two or three follow-up questions are plenty. You want to uncover details, but not overwhelm your respondents. Specific even lets you set a rule—once you gather the core information, the survey automatically moves on to the next question.

This makes it a conversational survey: The AI adjusts to every answer, making patients feel heard, rather than just “scored.” That’s what makes it conversational.

Easy to analyze, even with lots of text: All that rich, open-ended feedback? Modern AI tools can instantly summarize key themes, so there’s no need to read every response manually. Specific’s AI survey response analysis makes it simple to get insights in seconds.

Try it yourself: This way of gathering and analyzing responses is new—you should try generating a conversational survey and experience just how deep and fast the insights can be.

How to prompt ChatGPT (or other GPTs) to generate great questions

If you’re using AI like ChatGPT, the quality of your questions depends on your prompt. Here’s a starting idea—

For a quick list, write:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for patient survey about imaging services experience.

But you’ll get better results if you give a bit more context, like:

Our imaging center wants to improve patient satisfaction. Please suggest 10 open-ended survey questions focused on the entire experience, from scheduling to results. Our patients come from diverse backgrounds, and we care about access, communication, and comfort.

Next, get organized—let AI sort your questions by category:

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

Then, dive deep where it matters most. For example, if you find “Waiting times” is a big category, drill down with:

Generate 10 questions focused on patient experience with waiting times during imaging visits.

Try experimenting—context makes AI suggestions sharper and more relevant to your reality.

What is a conversational survey?

A conversational survey is an interactive, chat-like experience—powered by AI—that adapts follow-up questions based on your respondent’s answers, just like a skilled interviewer. Unlike the traditional, static forms of old, a conversational survey listens, responds, and goes where your participants take it. That’s why patients often share richer, more detailed feedback.

The advantage of using an AI survey builder or AI survey generator like Specific is clear: you get expert-quality, highly personalized surveys in minutes, without endless tweaking, uncertainty, or copy-pasting from templates. The AI suggests, refines, and follows up on every response—while you stay focused on what matters: the patient’s experience.

Why use AI for patient surveys? AI survey tools are unmatched in adapting to real-world complexity and diversity among patients. They help you overcome common challenges, like uncovering subtle trends, handling free-text feedback at scale, and zeroing in on local or regional satisfaction drivers. Case in point: research worldwide shows that satisfaction varies by appointment, waiting times, and efficiency—areas ripe for tailored follow-ups and actionable change[1][2][3].

Ready-made AI survey templates, fast editing (like with the AI survey editor), and instant analytics mean smoother workflows. Plus, you can create a conversational survey in just a few clicks.

Specific delivers the best-in-class experience for conversational surveys, making patient feedback smooth and enjoyable for both you and the people you serve.

See this imaging services experience survey example now

Kickstart smarter patient research now—see how a conversational, AI-powered survey unlocks honest feedback, deeper insights, and a truly seamless experience from start to finish. Don’t miss out on what your patients really want you to know!