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PubMed2000

Managed care, time pressure, and physician job satisfaction: results from the physician worklife study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between HMO practice, time pressure, and physician job satisfaction. DESIGN: National random stratified sample of 5,704 primary care and specialty physicians in the United States. Surveys contained 150 items reflecting 10 facets (components) of satisfaction in addition to global satisfaction with current job, one's career and one's specialty. Linear regression-modeled satisfaction (on 1-5 scale) as a function of specialty, practice setting (solo, small group, large group, academic, or HMO), gender, ethnicity, full-time versus part-time status, and time pressure during office visits. "HMO physicians" (9% of total) were those in group or staff model HMOs with > 50% of patients capitated or in managed care. RESULTS: Of the 2,326 respondents, 735 (32%) were female, 607 (26%) were minority (adjusted response rate 52%). HMO physicians reported significantly higher satisfaction with autonomy and administrative issues when compared with other practice types (moderate to large effect sizes). However, physicians in many other practice settings averaged higher satisfaction than HMO physicians with resources and relationships with staff and community (small to moderate effect sizes). Small and large group practice and academic physicians had higher global job satisfaction scores than HMO physicians (P <.05), and private practice physicians had quarter to half the odds of HMO physicians of intending to leave their current practice within 2 years (P <.05). Time pressure detracted from satisfaction in 7 of 10 satisfaction facets (P <.05) and from job, career, and specialty satisfaction (P <.01). Time allotted for new patients in HMOs (31 min) was less than that allotted in solo (39 min) and academic practices (44 min), while 83% of family physicians in HMOs felt they needed more time than allotted for new patients versus 54% of family physicians in small group practices (P <.05 after Bonferroni's correction). CONCLUSIONS: HMO physicians are generally less satisfied with their jobs and more likely to intend to leave their practices than physicians in many other practice settings. Our data suggest that HMO physicians' satisfaction with staff, community, resources, and the duration of new patient visits should be assessed and optimized. Whether providing more time for patient encounters would improve job satisfaction in HMOs or other practice settings remains to be determined.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Is satisfaction with pain management a valid and reliable quality indicator for use in nursing homes?

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether satisfaction with pain management can be measured reliably in nursing homes and to gather preliminary data about the validity of satisfaction assessments in this population. DESIGN: Cross-sectional interview study. SETTING: Two urban nursing homes. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-six nursing home residents with pain. MEASUREMENTS: Overall satisfaction with pain management, satisfaction with pain medication, experiences related to pain management, cognitive function, depressive symptoms, and retest reliability of overall satisfaction rating. RESULTS: Most residents (60/66; 91%) could rate their overall satisfaction with pain management. Overall satisfaction was weakly correlated with pain severity at the time of the interview (Spearman correlation coefficient = -0.28; P =.033) and over the past week (-0.27; P =.038). Overall satisfaction was also negatively associated with the Geriatric Depression Scale score (-0.50; P <.001). Satisfaction with pain medication was associated with several ratings of the medication's beneficial effects, including improved activity, sleep, and speed of relief, but not with the frequency with which it caused side effects. Ratings of overall satisfaction showed good reliability overall (kappa = 0.62; P <.001) and for those with Mini-Mental State Examination scores greater than 21 (kappa = 0.70; P <.001) and 21 or less (kappa = 0.54; P =.004). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that satisfaction with pain management can be measured reliably when residents are able to report their pain, but further research is needed before satisfaction with pain management can be incorporated into routine assessments in nursing homes.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Job satisfaction among renal dietitians.

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about job satisfaction among renal dietitians. We sought to determine overall job satisfaction and specific domains of job satisfaction among renal dietitians. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: A total of 46 outpatient hemodialysis facilities in northeast Ohio. PARTICIPANTS: A group of 40 renal dietitians. INTERVENTION: Structured questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Overall job satisfaction; specific domains of job satisfaction, workload, and suggestions for improving job satisfaction. RESULTS: Of all responding dietitians, 78% expressed overall satisfaction with their job. Dietitians were least satisfied with opportunities for advancement (13%), supervisors' handling of employees (50%), the chance to be somebody in the community (53%), praise received for doing a good job (55%), and amount of work assigned (58%). Dietitians were most satisfied with the chance to do things for others (98%). A higher patient-to-renal dietitian ratio was associated with lower overall job satisfaction and a reduced likelihood that renal dietitians would recommend their career to others. The most common suggestions for improving job satisfaction consisted of reducing paperwork (named by 28% of dietitians), spending more time with patients (23%), and increasing time for creative projects (18%). CONCLUSIONS: Although renal dietitians generally expressed overall satisfaction with their jobs, almost all were dissatisfied with opportunities for advancement, and nearly half were dissatisfied with other specific aspects of their work. We urge local and national associations of renal dietitians to collaborate with dialysis facilities, chains, and regulatory agencies to improve job satisfaction. Further research is needed to determine the impact of job satisfaction of renal dietitians on patient outcomes.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Can doctors predict patients' satisfaction and enablement? A cross-sectional observational study.

BACKGROUND: Patient satisfaction surveys are increasingly used to measure consulting quality and outcome, but little is known of how good doctors are at judging their patients' satisfaction with their consultations. OBJECTIVES: To determine if patient satisfaction and enablement following a consultation are correlated with both inexperienced and experienced doctors' predictions of patient satisfaction and doctors' own satisfaction with the consultation. METHODS DESIGN: Cross-sectional questionnaire-based observational study. SETTING: Scottish general practices. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Using a post-consultation questionnaire we compared doctors' estimates of patient satisfaction with the consultation; doctors' own satisfaction with the consultation; scores on the Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI) and the Consultation Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ). RESULTS: Twenty-nine doctors and 1848 patients took part. Each doctor recorded an average of 63.7 (SD: 32.1) consultations. Patient measures of satisfaction and enablement were only weakly correlated with doctor predictions of patient satisfaction (rs=0.07 for PEI and 0.13 for CSQ; both P<0.01) or doctor satisfaction (rs=0.10 for PEI and 0.12 for CSQ; both P<0.01) with the consultation. They were, however, moderately well correlated (rs=0.50 P<0.01) with one another. CONCLUSION: Doctors are poor at predicting patient satisfaction in the consultation. Further research is required to determine the reasons for this.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Keeping the customer satisfied: issues in the interpretation and use of patient satisfaction surveys.

Patient satisfaction and customer focus are increasingly important objectives set for health services. The patient satisfaction survey is becoming the main method of assessing this aspect of health care. In competitive environments, those institutions that show that they respond to consumers' needs are in a better position to attract funding. The use of patient satisfaction surveys in quality assurance-type activities is also increasing. In these contexts, however, the way in which patient satisfaction surveys should be interpreted and used to maximise the satisfaction of patients has received little critical attention. Problems in interpreting the results of satisfaction surveys arise from the weak conceptual foundation of patient satisfaction, which has been well documented in the literature. The objective of this paper is to show that using current formulations of patient satisfaction surveys in quality assurance-type activities and competitive environments may not lead to the maximisation of patients' satisfaction with health services. If the satisfaction of patients is to be maximised then it is necessary to extend the current conceptual basis of patient satisfaction to recognise explicitly the decision-making contexts in which the results will be used. This paper identifies the manner by which this extension should occur by considering some of the problems and pitfalls of interpreting and using the results of surveys to maximise patients' satisfaction.

Decision Making, Organizational↗
PubMed1997

Patient satisfaction with emergency house calls.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To identify determinants of patient satisfaction with emergency house calls and to assess the properties of a satisfaction measurement questionnaire. DESIGN: Patient survey, combined with routinely collected information on the circumstances of the house call. SETTING: Emergency house calls provided by an independent emergency care organization (ECO) in Geneva, Switzerland. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive sample of 389 patients (67% response rate). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Patient satisfaction. PREDICTOR VARIABLES: patient age and sex, type of medical problem, time of visit, waiting time, duration of visit, perceived effectiveness of treatment. RESULTS: The satisfaction questionnaire was easy to administer. Factor analysis identified 3 separate dimensions of satisfaction, which pertained to the visit itself, to access and to general attitude toward the ECO. Validation tests were consistent with expectations. In multivariate analysis, older patient age and greater perceived treatment effectiveness predicted independently all satisfaction scales. Presence of a mixed physical and mental problem reduced satisfaction with the visit itself only, a delay between the phone call and the visit exceeding one hour reduced satisfaction with access and worsened the attitude toward the ECO. CONCLUSION: The instrument used to measure patient satisfaction with emergency house calls performed well. Overall levels of satisfaction were high. Perceived effectiveness of treatment was the strongest correlate of patient satisfaction. Monitoring of patient satisfaction in emergency settings may contribute to improvements of quality of care.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Testing the relationship between job stress and satisfaction in correctional nurses.

BACKGROUND: Correctional nurses function in a high stress environment due to the nature of their clients and the primacy of environmental security. Job stress and satisfaction are theorized relational concepts that influence intent to stay and turnover as described in the anticipated turnover model. An increased understanding of the nature and sources of stress and satisfaction provides necessary information about correctional nursing. OBJECTIVE: To (a) replicate an earlier study of correctional nurses to determine whether similar findings could be duplicated in a study of prison nurses from another state and (b) test the concepts of stress and satisfaction as represented in the anticipated turnover model. METHODS: Using the Index of Work Satisfaction and the Nurse Stress Index, a correlational mail survey was designed to assess job stress and satisfaction among 454 nurses in a northeastern state prison system. RESULTS: Overall stress scores were not significantly different from the original study despite differences in demographic characteristics. Highest to lowest mean scores on actual sources of satisfaction include physician-nurse interaction, autonomy, professional status, task requirements, organizational policies, and pay. Satisfaction scores were significantly higher in the original study. An inverse relationship exists between job stress and satisfaction among correctional nurses. Job stress was a significant predictor of job satisfaction, supporting the theorized conceptual relationship between job stress and job satisfaction as described in the anticipated turnover model. DISCUSSION: Stress levels and the top two sources of stress were essentially the same for both groups of correctional nurses. Sources of satisfaction are ranked similarly but subscale and overall scores indicate that the nurses in the replication study were more dissatisfied. Findings validate the theoretical proposition in the anticipated turnover model that job stress is a major predictor variable in explaining job satisfaction.

Female↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of nursing care on overall patient satisfaction and its predictive value on return-to-provider behavior: a survey study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the extent of patient satisfaction with care provided at the hospital at all levels and to correlate patients' satisfaction with nursing care, in particular, with their overall satisfaction. Also, to assess the predictive value of patient satisfaction on subsequent return to the hospital. DESIGN: A survey study of a random sample of 420 inpatients to determine the extent of their satisfaction with the overall care provided at the hospital. SETTING: A 110-bed private hospital in Kuwait, January 1-March 31, 2004. RESULTS: The extent of overall patient satisfaction with the quality of care provided at the hospital was found to be quite high (Excellent, 74.7%; Very good, 23.7%). Individually, nursing care received the maximum patient satisfaction ratings (Excellent, 91.9%; Very good, 3.9%). A positive correlation (r = 0.31, P = .01) was noted between patients' perception of nursing care and their overall satisfaction with the health care provided at the hospital. Significant positive correlation (r = 0.36, P = .01) was also found between overall patient satisfaction and their reported intentions of returning and recommending the hospital to others. CONCLUSIONS: Patient satisfaction surveys can be of great value to health care providers not only in recognizing and improving the quality of care, but also as predictors of return-to-provider behavior of the patients. Overall patient satisfaction is linked with quality nursing care, which, in turn, depends on the quality of leadership practiced at the institution. Transformational leadership behavior promotes nurse satisfaction, which adds to their work effectiveness and motivates them to provide quality patient care.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed2006

Specificity of patients' satisfaction with the delivery and outcome of treatment.

This study investigated the hypotheses that the general disposition to be satisfied is more influential than the nature of service delivery in determining satisfaction with treatment, and that there is a specificity to satisfaction with the delivery of care and with clinical outcome of care that makes their ratings distinct. Data were obtained by questionnaire at intake into treatment and 4 months later from 154 male veterans. There were statistically significant relationships between the general disposition to be satisfied and satisfaction with treatment, but they had only a trivial effect on the relationships between treatment satisfaction and other variables. There was, however, a specificity to satisfaction ratings such that a major feature of the delivery of care, the experience of friendliness and caring from staff, was related more highly to satisfaction with care than to satisfaction with outcome, while measures of clinical outcome were related more highly to satisfaction with outcome than to satisfaction with care. A general disposition to be satisfied, therefore, appears not to have a major biasing effect on satisfaction with treatment. Further, patients appear to make valid differentiations between satisfaction with the delivery of care and the clinical outcome of care when their attention is focused specifically on satisfaction with these features.

Attention↗
PubMed2003

Practice characteristics and HMO enrollee satisfaction with specialty care: an analysis of patients with glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

BACKGROUND: The specialist's role in caring for managed care patients is likely to grow. Thus, assessing the correlates of patient satisfaction with specialty care is essential. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between characteristics of eye care practices and satisfaction with eye care among working age patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) or diabetic retinopathy (DR). SUBJECTS/STUDY SETTING: A total of 913 working age patients with OAG or DR enrolled in six commercial managed care health plans. The patients were treated in 144 different eye care practices. STUDY DESIGN: We used a patient survey to obtain information on patient characteristics and satisfaction with eye care, measured by scores on satisfaction subscales of the 18-item Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire. We used a survey of eye care practices to obtain information on practice characteristics, including provider specialties, practice organization, financial features, and utilization and quality management systems. We estimated logistic regression models to assess the association of patient and practice characteristics with high levels of patient satisfaction. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Treatment in a practice with a glaucoma specialist (for OAG patients) or a retina specialist (for DR patients) was associated with higher satisfaction, whereas treatment in a practice that obtained a high proportion of its revenues from capitation payments or in a group practice where providers obtained a high proportion of their incomes from bonuses was associated with lower satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Many eye care patients prefer to be treated by specialists with expertise in their conditions. Financial arrangement features of eye care practices also are associated with patient satisfaction with care. The most likely mechanisms underlying these associations are effects on provider behavior and satisfaction, which in turn influence patient satisfaction. Managed care plans and provider groups should aim to minimize the negative impact of managed care features on patient satisfaction.

Diabetic Retinopathy↗
PubMed2004

Predictors of life satisfaction of Korean nurses.

AIM: This paper reports a study to identify the levels of work satisfaction, burnout and life satisfaction among Korean hospital nurses and the relative importance of negative and positive work outcomes (burnout and work satisfaction) in explaining the variance of life satisfaction of nurses. BACKGROUND: Previous research has demonstrated that work outcomes such as job satisfaction and burnout can affect overall life satisfaction. It is not yet known, however, whether positive and negative aspects of work outcomes exert equally strong or varying degrees of effect, nor whether the relationships demonstrated primarily in Western cultures also are present in other cultures. Given the widespread shortage of nurses, it is important to identify areas for organizational interventions that have the greatest potential for improving both recruitment and retention of nurses. METHODS: A cross-sectional correlational design was used. A survey was undertaken with 194 nurses from general hospitals of 300 beds or more in southern Korea between May 1999 and March 2000. Paper and pencil self-rating questionnaires were used to gather information. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations and multiple regressions. RESULTS: Korean nurses reported moderate levels of life satisfaction, with low levels of work satisfaction and high levels of burnout. Burnout explained more variance in life satisfaction than work satisfaction. Those who experienced higher personal accomplishment and lower emotional exhaustion and who were satisfied with their professional status and did not work at night reported higher life satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the relative importance of negative work outcomes on nurses' overall well-being. Strategies to reduce emotional exhaustion, enhance nurses' personal accomplishment and satisfaction with professional status, and accommodate shift preferences for work scheduling were suggested. Replicating this study with nurses from other geographic areas using random selection will be needed to increase the generalizability of the findings.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Satisfaction with the outpatient encounter: a comparison of patients' and physicians' views.

OBJECTIVE: To compare patients' and physicians' visit-specific satisfaction in an internal medicine outpatient setting, and to explain their respective views. DESIGN: Patients' and physicians' background characteristics were assessed prior to outpatient encounters. Immediately after the encounter, both patients and physicians completed a questionnaire assessing satisfaction with the visit. SETTING: The outpatient division of an academic teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty residents and specialists in general internal medicine, rheumatology, and gastroenterology, and 330 patients having a follow-up appointment with one of these physicians. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patients' and physicians' visit-specific satisfaction was assessed using 5 Visual Analogue Scales (0 to 100). Patients' overall satisfaction was higher than physicians' satisfaction (mean 81 vs. 66), and correlation of patients' and physicians' overall satisfaction with the specific visit was medium sized (r= .28, P < .001). Patients' satisfaction ratings were associated with their previsit self-efficacy in communicating with their physician (P < .001) and with visiting a female physician (P < .01). Physicians' satisfaction was associated with patients' higher educational level (P < .05), primary language being Dutch (P < .001), better mental health (P < .05), and preference for receiving less than full information (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: In an outpatient setting, patients' visit-specific satisfaction ratings were substantially higher than, and only moderately associated with, physicians' ratings of the same visit. The dissimilar predictors explaining patients' and physicians' satisfaction suggest that patients and physicians form their opinion about a consultation in different ways. Hence, when evaluating outpatient encounters, physicians' satisfaction has additional value to patients' satisfaction in establishing quality of care.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Satisfaction with care among homeless patients: development and testing of a measure.

The purpose of this study was to establish the reliability and validity of the Homeless Satisfaction With Care Scale, a measure of satisfaction with care among homeless clients; and to examine selected predictors of satisfaction with care. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted comparing an inductively developed measure of satisfaction with 2 established satisfaction measures in a sample of 168 homeless clients who used a rural or an urban clinic. The inductively developed satisfaction scale had good internal consistency reliability and was significantly related to the established measures of satisfaction, supporting its construct validity. Generally, patient characteristics were not associated with satisfaction level. However, Black clients had significantly lower satisfaction levels than White clients; satisfaction differed between the rural and urban sites. Race and clinical site explained 7% of variance in satisfaction. The inductively developed measure provides a salient and appropriate measure of satisfaction with care for future studies with the unique population of homeless.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Job stressors and job satisfaction in a major metropolitan public EMS service.

INTRODUCTION: Behavioral and social science research suggests that job satisfaction and job performance are positively correlated. It is important that EMS managers identify predictors of job satisfaction in order to maximize job performance among prehospital personnel. PURPOSE: Identify job stressors that predict the level of job satisfaction among prehospital personnel. METHODS: The study was conducted within a large, urban Emergency Medical Services (EMS) service performing approximately 60,000 Advanced Life Support (ALS) responses annually. Using focus groups and informal interviews, potential predictors of global job satisfaction were identified. These factors included: interactions with hospital nurses and physicians; on-line communications; dispatching; training provided by the ambulance service; relationship with supervisors and; standing orders as presently employed by the ambulance service. These factors were incorporated into a 21 item questionnaire including one item measuring global job satisfaction, 14 items measuring potential predictors of satisfaction, and seven questions exploring demographic information such as age, gender, race, years of experience, and years with the company. The survey was administered to all paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) Results of the survey were analyzed using univariate and multivariate techniques to identify predictors of global job satisfaction. RESULTS: Ninety paramedics and EMT participated in the study, a response rate of 57.3%. Job satisfaction was cited as extremely satisfying by 11%, very satisfying by 29%, satisfying by 45%, and not satisfying by 15% of respondents. On univariate analysis, only the quality of training, quality of physician interaction, and career choice were associated with global job satisfaction. On multivariate analysis, only career choice (p = 0.005) and quality of physician interaction (p = 0.05) were predictive of global job satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Quality of career choice and interactions with physicians are predictive of global job satisfaction within this urban emergency medical service (EMS). Future studies should examine specific characteristics of the physician-paramedic interface that influence job satisfaction and attempt to generalize these results to other settings.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[Quality of life, subjective health status and health and life satisfaction in rheumatoid arthritis].

A Japanese version of Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS) was developed after the original AIMS Version 2 and utilized for Quality of Life (QOL) measurement in 691 patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Various medical (physical and laboratory) examinations, which are widely used in the clinical settings for the assessment of RA activity and severity, were also performed by physicians. Interrelationships between QOL, patient subjective health status, and health and life satisfaction were analyzed with the following results: 1: The effect of QOL impairment by RA upon patients' subjective health rating and health satisfaction were not constant over the range of severity of disease status. Pain was found to lower overall subjective health and health satisfaction regardless of RA class. On the other hand, while the deterioration of mobility aspects of QOL had negative effects upon patients' subjective health status and satisfaction among less-disabled RA patients, any of physical aspects of QOL, including the degree of mobility impairment, showed no significant association with patients' subjective health status and satisfaction in the more disabled. 2: Psychological aspects of QOL (mood and tension) had significant associations with patients' subjective health status and satisfaction. In the less severe group, mood impairment had a significant effect on subjective health and satisfaction, while in the more severe group tension showed a significant association. It was indicated that management of psychological aspects of QOL is important in RA patients to improve and advance their subjective health status and satisfaction. 3: Although social aspects of QOL, i.e. social support, social life and job status, showed no significant relationship to subjective health rating and health satisfaction, those with less disease severity who lacked social support and who had a jobless state were likely to have lower disease acceptance and life satisfaction, while those with more severe disease who had less social interaction manifested lower life satisfaction. These results suggested that social aspects of QOL, while not directly associated with subjective health rating, could be important factors affecting disease acceptance and life satisfaction.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Characteristics of practices, general practitioners and patients related to levels of patients' satisfaction with consultations.

BACKGROUND: Despite interest in the relationship between patient satisfaction and consultation performance, there is little information about how other characteristics of general practitioners, practices and patients influence satisfaction with consultations. AIM: To identify characteristics of patients, practices and general practitioners that influence satisfaction with consultations. METHOD: In 1991-92, a consultation satisfaction questionnaire (CSQ) was administered to 75 patients attending each of the 126 general practitioners in 39 practices. Further questionnaires were used to collect information about the practice (such as total list size, training status, fundholding status and presence of a personal list system) and about the general practitioners (age, sex, whether vocationally trained, a trainer or a trainee, and the number of patients booked in the appointment system per hour). Stepwise multiple regression was undertaken to identify characteristics of patients, practices or general practitioners that influenced satisfaction. RESULTS: The mean of the response rates to the patient questionnaire for each general practitioner was 76.6%, with a standard deviation (SD) of 17.8. Practice characteristics associated with falls in satisfaction were an increasing total list size, the absence of a personal list system and its being a training practice. If more patients were booked in the appointment system per hour, satisfaction with the perceived length of consultations fell. Patient characteristics associated with falls in satisfaction were increased age and an increased proportion of male patients. The only characteristic of general practitioners associated with lower levels of satisfaction was increasing age. The sex of general practitioners did not influence satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study give further support to the importance of a personal service in determining patient satisfaction in general practice. General Practitioners need to review the organization of practices to ensure an acceptable balance between the requirements of modern clinical care and the wishes of patients. Future studies should take account of the many variables that can influence patient satisfaction.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

[Patient satisfaction with outpatient/short stay operations in a practice clinic].

BACKGROUND: In a pilot scheme for outpatient/short-stay surgery in a practice clinic in Magdeburg, Germany, as well as medical indicators patient satisfaction was evaluated as part of its research programme. Typically, the recovery phase is transferred to the home environment. For this reason the practice clinic has little opportunity to observe the patient's post-operative course. Patient satisfaction, therefore, is a particularly important indicator in evaluating the quality of patient care in outpatient, generally elective, surgery. This study assessed patient satisfaction with the services offered by the practice clinic. The analysis also identified which determinants had significant impact on patient satisfaction in order to obtain information about reasonable measures for improvement. METHODS: A questionnaire developed by Blum to evaluate patient satisfaction with outpatient surgery in a hospital setting was slightly modified. The questionnaire contained 77 items, which included overall satisfaction as well as the following attributes: information, participation in decision-making, care, health care processes and organisation, post-operative recovery and follow-up care at home. All 420 patients treated were surveyed during two data collection periods in autumn 2001 and summer 2002. RESULTS: Response rate was 55.7% (234/420). Overall satisfaction was very high. Only 3.6% of patients were dissatisfied. Of the individual attributes patients were most satisfied with care, follow-up care at home, and participation in decision-making. 19% of the patients had criticisms relating to "post-operative recovery". Three out of six items could be identified as determinants of overall satisfaction (R(2) = 0.4 in a forward stepwise multiple linear regression analysis): participation in decision-making, follow-up care at home and health care processes and organisation in the practice clinic. Patients expectations and needs explained 79% of variance in satisfaction with participation in decision-making. DISCUSSION: The very high satisfaction scores, however, include criticism of detail and indicate scope for improvement. Negative reaction to the particularly relevant attribute "participation in decision-making" can markedly impair overall satisfaction. Patients' participation in their care has a special place with regard to patient satisfaction. The practice clinic intends to repeat the study as a part of its quality assurance programme.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

An examination of hospital satisfaction with blood suppliers.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to identify factors that predict overall hospital satisfaction with blood suppliers. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The data for this study came from a 2001 satisfaction survey of hospital blood bank managers conducted by the National Blood Data Resource Center. A total of 1325 blood-utilizing hospitals were included in the final study database. The measurement of hospital satisfaction with its blood supplier encompasses the five composites of the SERVQUAL model. The five composites are 1) tangibles, 2) reliability, 3) responsiveness, 4) assurance, and 5) empathy. Linear regression was performed with overall hospital satisfaction as the dependent variable and the five composites of the SERVQUAL model and control variables as predictors of overall hospital satisfaction with blood suppliers. RESULTS: Significant predictors of hospital satisfaction with blood suppliers are satisfaction with medical and clinical support provided by the blood center, satisfaction with the routine delivery schedule, and price (service fee) of red cells. CONCLUSION: Prior studies have demonstrated the importance of customer satisfaction to organizations. As organizations, blood centers can benefit from improved satisfaction from their hospital customers. Blood center strategies that focus on improving these three predictors of overall hospital satisfaction with primary blood suppliers will be the most likely to improve and/or maintain hospital customer satisfaction with primary blood suppliers.

Blood Banks↗