Date

8-29-2025

Department

School of Nursing

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Chair

Folashade Odedina

Keywords

mental health, intake process, mental health clinic, outpatient, patient engagement, wait times, and patient satisfaction

Disciplines

Nursing

Abstract

This scholarly project aimed to enhance patient satisfaction and engagement by improving the intake process in an outpatient mental health clinic. Inefficient intake procedures, characterized by long wait times, communication gaps, and misreferrals, contribute to patient disengagement and dissatisfaction. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design evaluated a patient-centered intervention involving communication training, streamlined workflows, and real-time updates. Data were collected from 52 participants using Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) and qualitative feedback. Quantitative results revealed high satisfaction with staff respect (M = 4.19), communication clarity (M = 4.06), and facility comfort (M = 4.13). Wait time satisfaction scored slightly lower (M = 3.96), aligning with qualitative critiques of delays. Inferential statistics showed no significant differences between satisfaction domains, indicating consistent service quality. Qualitative feedback praised empathetic interactions and process efficiency but highlighted structural challenges like paperwork complexity. The findings underscore the dual role of intake as both administrative and therapeutic, requiring improvements in digital scheduling and staff training. Recommendations include embedding shared decision-making tools and continuous feedback mechanisms to sustain engagement. This project demonstrates that patient-centered intake processes, supported by evidence-based frameworks like the Iowa Model, can enhance operational efficiency and intake processes in the clinic, ultimately improving mental health outcomes.

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