What Do Patients Value Most in an Eyecare Professional's Waiting Room?

NEW YORK—A friendly receptionist and a comfortable environment are what patients value most in an eyecare professional's waiting room, according to The Waiting Game, a new report from Jobson Optical Research. A majority (58.5 percent) of the 4,738 respondents in the December 2012 study cited "friendly receptionist" as "very important" in the waiting room of an eye doctor's office, while 45 percent felt that "comfortable chairs" and a "comfortable temperature" were "very important."

Rounding out the list of what respondents viewed as "very important" were "available reading materials" (26.2 percent), "television to watch" (14.5 percent), "children's play area" (10.8 percent), "modern décor" (7.6 percent) and "computers to use" (6.6 percent). Conversely, approximately one-third of respondents cited certain features as "very unimportant"—"children's play area" (36.4 percent) and "computers to use" (33.7 percent).