Multiple Choice vs. Single Choice Questions in Healthcare Feedback Surveys

When designing healthcare feedback surveys, choosing the wrong question type can prevent clinics from gathering meaningful data. 

Multiple choice and single choice questions are two common formats, each coming with a unique set of benefits and challenges. Understanding the difference is crucial if you want to create surveys that yield actionable insights.

What are multiple choice and single choice questions?

Multiple choice questions allow respondents to select more than one answer from a list of options. These questions are ideal for gathering insights when multiple responses might be relevant.

Example: 

Single choice questions restrict respondents to selecting only one response from a list. This type of question is commonly used to force respondents to prioritize or select the most relevant option.

Example: 

When to use multiple choice questions

Multiple choice questions allow patients to describe their experiences via their flexibility, leading to a broader understanding of various touchpoints. This type of question is ideal for capturing multiple facets of patient experiences — especially in complex scenarios. 

The pros:

• Capture comprehensive feedback:Multiple choice questions allow respondents to select all options that apply, enabling a broader range of insights. This can be useful in healthcare settings where multiple factors often influence a patient’s experience.
• Flexibility for complex scenarios: Patients often have varied experiences across different aspects of care, such as staff interactions, treatments, and facility management. Multiple choice questions provide flexibility for respondents to reflect these complexities in their feedback.
• Encourage detailed responses: Multiple choice questions encourage more complete answers due to multiple possible selections. For instance, a patient may appreciate both the ease of scheduling and the quality of medical consultation — and multiple possible choices allow both aspects to be captured.

However, this flexibility comes with several challenges as well. The cons include:

• Data complexity: Analyzing multiple choice questions can be more complex since responses are not mutually exclusive. If many respondents select multiple options, it can be difficult to identify clear trends without more advanced data analysis.
• Less focused insight: Since multiple choice questions allow multiple selections, they can dilute the importance of any one factor — if a respondent selects all options, it becomes unclear which factor was most important.
• Longer completion time: Having to carefully consider and select multiple options may take more time, which can increase survey fatigue, especially for patients who are already under stress or pressed for time.

When to use single choice questions

Single choice questions limit respondents to choosing only one option, which prioritizes key insights and makes data analysis more straightforward. While simpler and faster for respondents, single choice questions may miss out on capturing the full breadth of a patient’s experience, potentially oversimplifying their feedback.

The pros:

• Prioritize key insights: Single choice questions force respondents to identify the most critical aspect of their experience. This can provide a clearer understanding of what patients value most, enabling healthcare providers to focus on the most impactful areas.
• Simpler data analysis: With only one response per question, it’s easier to analyze and interpret results. Having only one possible choice makes trends clearer, and the importance of each option is more pronounced.
• Quicker to complete: Single choice questions typically take less time to answer since respondents are required to make only one selection. This can help maintain high response rates — the survey is easier and faster to complete.

The cons:

• Limit nuance: With only one response possible, single choice questions can oversimplify complex experiences. In healthcare, where multiple factors often contribute to patient satisfaction, restricting respondents to one choice may not capture the full picture.
• Potential for frustration: If respondents feel forced to choose a single response when more than one option is relevant, they may become frustrated. This could result in less accurate feedback or lower overall satisfaction with the survey.
• Miss secondary insights: Single choice questions miss out on capturing secondary insights. Where a patient may prioritize the quality of care, they might also find communication important. This wouldn’t be reflected in a single choice format.

Conclusion

When you need to understand all aspects of a patient’s experience — such as which services they found helpful or areas they encountered challenges — multiple choice questions provide a more nuanced picture. 

Single choice questions are best for scenarios where you need to identify the most important aspect of care, such as what influenced the patient’s overall satisfaction the most.

Combining both question types provides a comprehensive view of patient feedback. Regardless of the question type, surveys should avoid overloading respondents with too many questions. Always keep the patient’s comfort in mind, particularly in healthcare settings where survey fatigue can lead to lower response rates.