Why Do We Ask So Many Questions?
If you are a patient at Univi Health Centre, you may occasionally receive a survey asking about your experience, your background, or even things like housing, transportation, and access to basic needs. You might wonder: Why does my health centre need to know all of this?
The answer is simple: the more we understand our patients’ experiences, needs and challenges, the better we can improve our care and services.
The Patient Satisfaction Survey: How are we doing?
Once a year, every Univi patient is invited to complete our Patient Satisfaction Survey. Invitations are sent by email or mail at different times throughout the year. It’s one of the reasons we ask for your email address. It allows us to send you invitations to our surveys and other important communications.
The survey asks about your experience at Univi. Do you feel welcomed? Do you have confidence in the care you receive? Can you get an appointment when you need one? Are you receiving services in the official language of your choice?
The survey is completely optional and anonymous. Your answers are not added to your patient record or connected to your care. Instead, the results are reviewed together to identify what is working well and where improvements may be needed.
The Sociodemographic Data Survey: Who are our patients, and what do they need?
The Sociodemographic Data Survey helps us understand who our patients are and what factors may affect their health and access to care.
The survey asks about things such as language, cultural background, income, disability, housing, food security, transportation, and access to medication or technology. Some questions may feel personal, but the answers can reveal important barriers that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Patients are normally asked to update this information every three years and when they first become a patient at Univi. Because the survey was recently updated to meet new Ontario government requirements, all patients will soon be asked to complete the new version.
This information is added to your confidential patient record and can help our System Navigators identify patients who may benefit from programs, services, or other supports. Information shared with the Ministry of Health is aggregated and anonymous and is used to show trends among groups of patients, not information about individuals.
Why does answering honestly matter?
A survey is most useful when the answers reflect reality. If patients tell us they are struggling with transportation, access to medication, or basic needs, we can better understand where support may be needed. If patients tell us that getting an appointment is difficult or that something about their care could be improved, that can help guide future changes.
There are no “right” answers. We want the real ones.
Patients always have choices. The Patient Satisfaction Survey is completely optional. In the Sociodemographic Data Survey, patients can select “Prefer not to answer” for questions they do not wish to answer, and doing so will not affect their access to Univi’s services.
Your answers help us see the bigger picture.
The two surveys work together in different ways. The Patient Satisfaction Survey tells us how patients experience their care. The Sociodemographic Data Survey helps us understand who our patients are and what needs or barriers may affect their health.
So, the next time a survey from Univi arrives in your inbox or mailbox, we hope you’ll take a few minutes to complete it. Every honest response helps us better understand our patients, improve our services, and provide care that responds to the real needs of the Sudbury-East area.
