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PubMed2000

Job satisfaction among gynecologic oncologists practicing in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether there have been any significant changes in professional satisfaction among gynecologic oncologists over the past 30 years. METHODS: We mailed surveys to all U.S. gynecologic oncologists belonging to the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists to compile data on demographics, training, motivating factors, overall professional satisfaction, and the effect of managed care. We compared these factors among oncologists who completed training in different years and among different demographic groups. We used calculated confidence intervals to determine statistical significance. RESULTS: We surveyed 767 gynecologic oncologists and received 344 evaluable responses, representing 47% of the total eligible. Results show that neither the factor rated most important in looking for a first job nor the factor rated most important in giving job satisfaction once in a job has changed significantly among gynecologic oncologists over time. In addition, the importance placed on salary has not varied across the fellowship graduate classes, although within each class salary increased in importance from the first job to the current job. Our analysis shows that while male and female gynecologic oncologists are similar in their job satisfaction and practice patterns, men report being sued twice as often as women, and men tend to stay in their first jobs significantly longer than women. We also compare the surveyed academic gynecologic oncologists to the private gynecologic oncologists and show that while overall job satisfaction is similar, their ratings of the factors that provide job satisfaction do differ significantly. Our data show that managed care penetration has increased over time among gynecologic oncology practices and that gynecologic oncologists' job satisfaction ratings tend to decrease with the increase in managed care penetration, although not reaching statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that changes in practice styles since the 1960s have not affected overall job satisfaction among gynecologic oncologists. However, several trends in practice styles can be noted, including differences between sexes, academic versus private physicians, and attitudes about managed care. The survey also suggests that there is interest among gynecologic oncologists in continuing to monitor changes in patterns of practice and satisfaction.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Meeting walk-in patients' expectations for testing. Effects on satisfaction.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation between meeting expectations for tests and visit satisfaction in walk-in patients. DESIGN: Survey of patients before and after the visit. SETTING: Walk-in medical clinic at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. PATIENTS: 143 male veterans were eligible for this study: 128 agreed to participate; 109 completed both questionnaires. MEASUREMENTS: Before the visit, we measured health status, baseline satisfaction with care, and expectations for common tests. After the visit, we measured visit-specific satisfaction, patient perception of provider interpersonal behavior (provider humanism), and patient report of whether specific tests were received. Logistic regression was used to determine the effect of meeting expectations for tests while controlling for other factors. RESULTS: Of all patients, 62% expected one or more tests, nearly as many as expected a medication or a diagnosis. In multivariate analysis restricted to those expecting tests, provider humanism was the sole significant predictor of visit-specific satisfaction (odds ration [OR] 6.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6, 26.1). The proportion of expectations for testing that were met was not significantly associated with satisfaction (OR 1.05; 95% CI 0.92, 1.21). CONCLUSIONS: Meeting patient expectations for tests does not have an important effect on satisfaction. Even in the walk-in setting, patient perception of the providers' interpersonal behavior was a more important factor in satisfaction with the visit. Physicians who order tests solely to improve patient satisfaction may be able to reduce unnecessary testing without decreasing patient satisfaction.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A survey of professional satisfaction among Canadian anesthesiologists.

PURPOSE: To assess overall job satisfaction among Canadian anesthesiologists and examine contributing factors. METHODS: A confidential postal survey of all active members of the Canadian Anesthesiologists Society was conducted in 1998. Demographics, anesthesia practice, overall job satisfaction, anesthetic assistance, and perceived surgeons' and public attitudes towards anesthesiologists were collected. RESULTS: Of 1659 surveys sent, 946 were returned (57% response rate). Seventy-five percent of the respondents were male and 25% female. Staff comprized 91%, residents 9%. The average working week was 59 +/- 11.9 hr. Seventy-five percent of respondents reported overall job satisfaction. Job satisfaction was associated with intellectual stimulation, good quality of care and interaction with patients. Dissatisfaction stemmed from treatment from the provincial government, hospital politics and long hours. Job satisfaction was associated with satisfaction with the level of operating room (OR) assistance, perceived high surgical regard and public image. Residents were more satisfied than staff anesthesiologists. Overall satisfaction was not affected by age, gender, region of practice, type of hospital or clinical work. CONCLUSIONS: Job satisfaction among anesthesiologists is significantly associated with intellectual stimulation, quality of care, interaction with the patients, treatment from the provincial government, hospital politics, working hours, OR assistance and perceived attitude of surgeons. Improving these contributing factors may lead to higher job satisfaction.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Instruments for measuring patient satisfaction with pharmacy services in the spanish language.

AIM OF THE REVIEW: The purpose of this paper is to identify and evaluate instruments used to assess patient satisfaction with pharmacy services available in the Spanish language, and specifically those designed to assess pharmaceutical care provided in community pharmacies. METHOD: A literature search was conducted in seven databases, using keywords: "patient satisfaction" and "Spanish" with and without the term "pharmacy". Publications that described the development or translation and/or adaptation of a questionnaire to assess patient satisfaction with pharmacy services in the Spanish language were retained. Publications were excluded if they were abstracts from conferences, reviews, letters or notes. The criteria used also excluded manuscripts where patient satisfaction was not assessed with a questionnaire. Instruments were evaluated according to evidence of the psychometric properties considered relevant: content validity, reliability and construct validity. RESULTS: While 83 publications describing instruments to measure patient satisfaction with health care services in the Spanish language were identified, only two pertained to satisfaction with pharmacy services. Both assessed patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care. One questionnaire, developed in Spanish only, includes four dimensions that comprehensively assessed pharmaceutical care practice; however, its reliability was only partially evaluated. The other questionnaire was developed in both Spanish and English. It was considered narrower in scope, assessing satisfaction with the pharmacist only. However, evidence was provided that the two versions of the questionnaire were reliable, valid and linguistically equivalent. CONCLUSION: A comprehensive, reliable, and valid instrument for assessing patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care in community pharmacies in the Spanish language is not yet available. The two published questionnaires that we have identified are a beginning, further research and development is needed.

Community Pharmacy Services↗
PubMed1987

The newly hired hospital staff nurse's professionalism, satisfaction and alienation.

In a previously reported panel study [Speedling et al. (1981). Int. J. Nurs. Stud. 18, 217-225], 180 Registered Nurses, three-quarters new graduates, were given questionnaires at time of hire and a year later. Using the panel study data, relationships among bureaucratic-professional role conception, actual situation and role discrepancy, and importance of job factors, job satisfaction and alienation, as well as age and length of stay at termination for time of hire only, are explored in this follow-up report. Mean bureaucratic actual situation (t = -5.18, P less than 0.001), bureaucratic role discrepancy (t = -2.77, P less than 0.01) and alienation (t = -2.36, P less than 0.05) increased, while professional actual situation (t = 3.39, P less than 0.01) and importance of job factors (t = 2.33, P less than 0.05) decreased during this first year of employment. In correlational analysis, at the time of hiring relationships were found between numerous variables, including: bureaucratic role conception with alienation (r = 0.17, P less than 0.05); bureaucratic actual situation with alienation (r = 0.19, P less than 0.05); professional role conception with alienation (r = -0.20, P less than 0.05) and with job satisfaction (r = -0.35, P less than 0.001); professional actual situation with job satisfaction (r = -0.19, P less than 0.05); and professional role discrepancy with job satisfaction (r = 0.23, P less than 0.01). A year after hiring, many relationships were found, including professional actual situation with job satisfaction (r = 0.26, P less than 0.05) and alienation with job satisfaction (r = -0.33, P less than 0.01). In stepwise regression analysis, age accounted for 8% of the variance in the importance of job factors (P less than 0.05), professional role conception for 28% of the variance in job satisfaction (P less than 0.001) at time of hire. A year after hiring, alienation and job satisfaction accounted for 12% of the variance in each other (P less than 0.01). As in the correlational analysis, there were many relationships among the bureaucratic-professional variables. Professional socialization theory was utilized in this study, helping to clarify the relationships among staff nurse professionalism, satisfaction and alienation.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Correlates of satisfaction for the relationship with their physician in type 2 diabetic patients.

In the context of an Italian nation-wide outcomes research program on type 2 diabetes, we investigated the contribution of both patient and setting-related factors to patient satisfaction with their relationship with their physicians. The level of patient satisfaction was measured using the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) 14 patient satisfaction questionnaire. The main results were obtained using multilevel analysis, a statistical technique that takes into account the clustered nature of our data. Overall, 3563 patients were recruited by 101 diabetologists and 103 general practitioners (GPs). Information on patients' satisfaction was available for 2515 patients (71% of the whole sample). Patients' satisfaction was related to patient characteristics and attitudes, but not with physician's sex, age, speciality, and setting of care. In particular, patients who were less likely to delegate to physicians responsibility for diabetes management and those perceiving a lower degree of involvement in disease management showed lower levels of satisfaction. Lower satisfaction scores were also related to lower levels of school education, more severe clinical conditions, and lower psychological adaptation to diabetes. However, patients reporting higher levels of diabetes related worries and more frequent encounters with health care providers showed higher levels of satisfaction. In conclusion, patient satisfaction with physicians' humanness and communication skills is strongly related to personal characteristics, attitudes, expectations, and perceived health. In deciding the best decision-making approach to adopt in individual patients, it is of primary importance to measure how the patient perceives and engages in relationships.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Preoperative anxiety and postoperative satisfaction in women undergoing elective caesarean section.

BACKGROUND: The primary aim was to investigate whether preoperative anxiety in women undergoing elective caesarean section predicts postoperative maternal satisfaction with the process, perceptions of recovery, analgesic use or length of hospital stay. Other factors that might influence postoperative satisfaction were also explored. METHOD: In 85 women awaiting elective caesarean section, anxiety, social support and aspects of preparation were measured in the 24 hours preceding surgery. Maternal satisfaction and perceptions of recovery were assessed around the third postoperative day. Satisfaction with the preoperative information from the anaesthetist and postoperative pain relief were also measured at this time. Medical notes were used to gather information on analgesia use and length of hospital stay. RESULTS: Preoperative anxiety scores were comparable with those of general surgical/medical patients. Preoperative trait anxiety and state anxiety were inversely associated with postoperative maternal satisfaction. State anxiety was also inversely associated with better recovery. Preoperative anxiety was not associated with analgesic use or length of hospital stay. Linear regression analysis indicated the degree of satisfaction with information from the anaesthetist and perceived emotional support from the partner explained 52% of the variance in postoperative maternal satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Lower preoperative anxiety is associated with greater maternal satisfaction with elective caesarean section and better recovery. Information provided by anaesthetists and perceived emotional support are also of importance. It may be possible to identify women with high anxiety and facilitate satisfaction and recovery through providing additional supportive input.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Does patient satisfaction with breast reconstruction change over time? Two-year results of the Michigan Breast Reconstruction Outcomes Study.

BACKGROUND: Previously, we found patient satisfaction with breast reconstruction at postoperative year 1 significantly higher in the autogenous tissue compared with the expander/implant population. But breast reconstructive procedures have different "aging" processes, and the point at which outcomes stabilize is unclear. So we evaluated patient satisfaction with breast reconstruction at postoperative year 2 and compared the results with those from our previous study. STUDY DESIGN: As part of the Michigan Breast Reconstruction Outcomes Study, women undergoing mastectomy reconstruction (including expander/implants and pedicle and free transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flaps [TRAM]) were prospectively evaluated. Preoperatively and at postoperative years 1 and 2, women completed a questionnaire that collected a variety of validated health status information. The postoperative questionnaire had an additional seven items assessing both general and esthetic satisfaction as separate subscales. To assess the effects of procedure on satisfaction and control for possible confounding, multiple logistic regression was used. RESULTS: At year 2, patients with TRAM flaps (both free and pedicle) continued to have higher levels of esthetic satisfaction compared with expander/implant patients (odds ratio 2.8, p < 0.01). But no significant differences were appreciated in esthetic satisfaction between women with free and pedicle TRAM flaps. In regard to general satisfaction, the type of reconstruction (expander/implant, pedicle TRAM, and free TRAM) had no statistically significant effect. CONCLUSIONS: At postoperative year 2, procedural differences initially found in women's general satisfaction with breast reconstruction diminish. Specifically, women with pedicle TRAM flaps, free TRAM flaps, and expander/implants had similar levels of general satisfaction. But at year 2, patients continue to be more esthetically satisfied with autogenous tissue than with expander/implant reconstructions.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Dietary satisfaction correlated with adherence in the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study.

OBJECTIVE: To measure satisfaction with modified protein eating patterns and the relationship of satisfaction to adherence and sociodemographic factors in a clinical trial. DESIGN: Participants completed the Dietary Satisfaction Questionnaire at baseline, at 6-month follow-up visits, at annual visits, and at the final visit. Satisfaction with diet was rated on a visual analog scale from 1 (dislike extremely) to 5 (like very much). Adherence to protein goals was assessed using urine urea nitrogen excretion from monthly 24-hour urine samples. SUBJECTS: 840 adults with chronic renal disease. INTERVENTION: Individual participants, randomly assigned to a usual-protein, low-protein, or very-low-protein group, received monthly counseling from a dietitian for an average of 26 months. STATISTICS: Analyses of variance and two-sample t tests compared, among study/diet groups, satisfaction with diet, its relationship to adherence and sociodemographic characteristics, and changes in satisfaction over time. Paired t tests compared changes within diet groups from baseline to final visit. RESULTS: From the baseline visit to the final visit, satisfaction with the prescribed eating pattern increased slightly in the usual-protein group, declined slightly in the low-protein group, and declined significantly in the very-low-protein group. Participants in all of the eating pattern groups who were more satisfied at the final visit had mean protein intakes closer to their assigned protein goals. This relationship was significant in the low-protein group (P < .05). In men, satisfaction with diet declined significantly from baseline to the final follow-up visit in the very-low-protein group. APPLICATIONS: The Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study Dietary Satisfaction Questionnaire may be useful in other research and clinical settings to assess and enhance dietary adherence.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Impact of angina burden and other factors on treatment satisfaction after acute coronary syndromes.

PURPOSE: Although of great importance to clinicians, hospitals, and health care systems, little is known about factors that influence treatment satisfaction after acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The objective of this study was to identify potentially modifiable factors associated with treatment satisfaction 7 months after ACS. METHODS: The study population included 1957 patients with ACS who were enrolled in the multicenter, prospective Veterans' Health Administration Access to Cardiology Study. The primary outcome was treatment satisfaction 7 months after ACS as measured by the Seattle Angina Questionnaire. Multivariable regression models were developed to determine the association between treatment satisfaction and patient characteristics, physician-patient communication, and current angina frequency. RESULTS: Patient characteristics associated with reduced treatment satisfaction included a history of depression, atrial fibrillation, prior heart surgery, arthritis, hypertension, younger age, and a discharge diagnosis of unstable angina (as opposed to myocardial infarction). After adjusting for patient characteristics, patient-reported inability to reach one or more of their physicians (OR, 2.40; 95% CI, 1.47 to 3.91), being given confusing information (OR, 3.48; 95% CI, 2.08 to 5.83), and poor overall communication with one or more of their physicians (OR, 4.94; 95% CI, 2.93 to 8.34) were all associated with reduced satisfaction. Finally, after adjustment for both patient characteristics and physician communication, weekly (OR, 3.52; 95% CI, 2.28 to 5.45) and daily angina (OR, 3.88; 95% CI, 2.23 to 6.75) were associated with worse treatment satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Current angina symptoms and aspects of physician communication are independently associated with treatment satisfaction after ACS. These results suggest that treatment satisfaction may be improved through better communication and better control of angina symptoms.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

A study of patient satisfaction and adherence to preventive care practice guidelines.

PURPOSE: Patient satisfaction ratings are being used to judge physicians' quality of care and to determine physician reimbursement. We therefore studied the association between patient satisfaction and the quality of medical care received by patients in physicians' offices. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patient satisfaction was measured in a survey of patients cared for by 48 primary care physicians in a health maintenance organization in Southern California. Evidence that patients were offered or received preventive care services was determined by patient survey and medical record abstraction, respectively. The medical records of 3,249 randomly selected elderly patients (65 to 75 years old) were studied. Of these patients, 2,799 completed a patient satisfaction and preventive care services survey (response rate 86.1%), 2,654 completed a patient satisfaction survey (response rate 81.7%), and 2,258 completed a quality-of-life survey (response rate 69.5%). RESULTS: Patients were generally satisfied with their physicians' care (median satisfaction score 4.2; scale 1 to 5, 5 being most satisfied). Patients who received or were offered mammography, clinical breast examination, influenza vaccine, pneumococcal vaccine, tetanus vaccine, exercise counseling, and smoking cessation counseling were more satisfied with their medical care than those patients who did not (P < 0.001 for all tests). After controlling for the physician who was providing the medical care, there was still a statistically significant relationship between these factors and patient satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: We found a significant association between patient satisfaction and the performance of some but not all preventive care services. However, we cannot be certain whether there is a relationship between patient satisfaction and quality of patient care.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

The relationship between worker satisfaction and productivity in a repetitive industrial task.

The objective of this investigation was to determine the manner by which production standards or goals, performance or production feedback and monetary or wage incentive affected or moderated the relationship between worker satisfaction and productivity in a repetitive production task in a fishing industry. The industrial study was conducted to measure worker satisfaction and productivity under various experimental conditions involving production standards, performance feedback and monetary incentive. Only the participative standard and performance feedback condition affected the worker satisfaction-productivity relationship significantly for the fish-trimming task. The positive correlation coefficient (0.87) for this condition was found to be highly significant. This has an important implication for setting a strategy for achieving higher worker satisfaction and productivity in such an industry. Production standards with feedback generally improved worker satisfaction and productivity. Monetary incentive further improved worker performance but added no incremental satisfaction gain. The incorporation of production standards, performance feedback and monetary incentive affected worker satisfaction and productivity differently and this had an effect on the worker satisfaction-productivity relationship. In an earlier laboratory study, no significant worker satisfaction-productivity relationship was found when subjects (college students) were provided with similar experimental conditions.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1998

Continuity of carer and satisfaction.

OBJECTIVE: To study the association between continuity of carer and satisfaction with antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum domiciliary care. DESIGN: A descriptive study comparing satisfaction measures between women cared for by a known or unknown midwife. Data on satisfaction were extracted from the intervention group of a birth centre trial, and the names of the individual carers from two clinical databases kept at the birth centre. SETTING: An in-hospital birth centre in Stockholm. SUBJECTS: 410 women who had been randomly allocated to birth centre care during pregnancy, and who had a normal vaginal delivery at the centre. Complete data, including the names of the caregivers and the women's satisfaction scores, were available in 175 cases (43%) during the antenatal episode, 404 cases (98%) during the intrapartum episode and in 254 cases (62%) during the episode of postpartum domiciliary care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Overall satisfaction with antenatal care, intrapartum care, labour and birth, and postpartum domiciliary care. FINDINGS: No statistical differences were observed in satisfaction with antenatal care between women who had seen only one, two, or more than two midwives at their check-ups during pregnancy; in satisfaction with intrapartum care or the birth itself when comparing women who were delivered by a known or unknown midwife; or in satisfaction with domiciliary care when the midwife was known or unknown. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that continuity of carer is less important in a birth centre. The high levels of satisfaction in women having birth centre care were probably more affected by the attitudes of the carers, the philosophy of care, and the nice and calm environment than by knowing the individual midwife well.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Is patient satisfaction a legitimate outcome of pain management?

Though many studies have measured patient satisfaction with pain management using the American Pain Society (APS) Satisfaction Survey or its variants, little is known about the relationship among the survey items, or whether items relate to satisfaction at all. In an effort to refine the measurement of patient satisfaction, a modified version of the APS survey, which was given to 787 patients as part of a study of postoperative pain management in six community hospitals, was subjected to principal components analysis to determine the survey's empirical structure. Correlations among the five components found were low; a weak relationship (r = -0.24) was discovered between pain intensity and satisfaction. A heuristic model estimated by structural equations analysis yielded additional insights. Though many items thought to influence patient satisfaction were not closely related to patient-reported satisfaction, they indicate important clinical factors relevant to quality of care, and thus, to continuing quality improvement (CQI) efforts. Results suggest that satisfaction was influenced by effectiveness of medication, independent of pain intensity, and by communication. Pain severity ratings near the time satisfaction was measured were more influential than earlier ratings.

Female↗
PubMed2000

Determinants of patient satisfaction after cataract surgery in 3 settings.

PURPOSE: To analyze the determinants of satisfaction and postoperative visual function after cataract surgery in 3 settings in The Netherlands. SETTING: University Hospital Maastricht (outpatient care), Atrium Medical Center Heerlen (inpatient care), and Medical Center Maastricht Annadal (outpatient care), Maastricht, The Netherlands. METHODS: This cross-sectional study consisted of 150 patients of 50 years and older who had first-eye phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation. Data were collected by a written questionnaire. The following parameters were measured: medical outcome, postoperative function, patient satisfaction with medical outcome and hospital care, and overall patient satisfaction. RESULTS: In general, patients were very satisfied (mean score 8.43 on a 10-point scale ranging from 1 = very bad to 10 = excellent). The 3 centers did not differ regarding the patient satisfaction (P =.092). However, postoperative visual function (P =.012), counseling (P =.010), and waiting time (P <.001) were different among the settings. Patient satisfaction with hospital care had a stronger correlation with overall satisfaction than patient satisfaction with the medical outcome (r = 0.669 versus r = 0.543, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: A causal model of patient satisfaction was tested, indicating that satisfaction was related to the patient's preoperative expectations and the quality of care given during the hospital stay and follow-up at the outpatient clinic. This emphasizes the relevance of patient education (to set realistic expectations) and counseling (need for care) by hospital staff in a cataract surgery setting.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Presurgical satisfaction with facial appearance in orthognathic surgery patients.

Orthognathic surgery and orthodontic therapy are most often performed to improve the patient's appearance. However, not all patients are satisfied with the result though the procedure may be considered successful by the orthodontist and the maxillofacial surgeon. It has been suggested that the patient's satisfaction with his or her facial appearance before the surgery can predict later satisfaction with orthognathic procedures. The present study examined the role of several potential predictor variables in satisfaction with facial appearance before orthognathic treatment. The variables, identified in previous research, included severity of facial disharmony, self-concept, psychological distress, gender, age, and socioeconomic status. Questionnaires were gathered from 54 patients in 10 orthodontic practices in Connecticut and New York. Contrary to expectations, gender, age and socioeconomic status failed to predict patients' presurgical satisfaction with appearance. Self-concept, psychological distress, and orthodontists' ratings of total facial appearance (from a lateral view) were bivariate predictors of satisfaction. When all variables were analyzed with a multiple regression analysis, however, only self-concept emerged as a significant independent predictor of satisfaction with appearance. This accounted for 15% of the variance in satisfaction. Orthodontists' ratings of facial views, considered here objective measures of disharmony, were predictive neither of satisfaction with appearance nor of self-concept. It is suggested that self-concept may be a predictor of postsurgical as well as presurgical satisfaction with appearance and that self-concept itself may be unaffected by severity of facial disharmony, at least in young adults. Orthodontists may need to pay special attention to those patients with poor self-concept, because these patients may be more likely to report unsatisfactory surgical outcomes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Heritability of life satisfaction in adults: a twin-family study.

BACKGROUND: Subjective well-being (SWB) can be partitioned into the components life satisfaction and affect. Research on factors influencing these components of well-being has mainly focused on environmental characteristics. The aim of this study was to investigate the relative contribution of genes and environment to individual differences in life satisfaction in a large sample of Dutch twins and their singleton siblings. METHOD: Life satisfaction of 5668 subjects registered with The Netherlands Twin Registry (NTR) was measured with a Dutch version of the self-reported Satisfaction with Life Scale. An extended twin design was used to obtain correlations in life satisfaction scores for monozygotic twins, dizygotic twins and sibling pairs and to estimate the contribution of genes and environment to the variation in life satisfaction. RESULTS: No differences between males and females were found in the mean level of life satisfaction. Broad-sense heritability was 38%. Non-additive genetic factors explained all or most of the genetic influences. The remaining 62% of the variance in life satisfaction could be attributed to unique environmental factors, both persistent and transitory, plus measurement error. CONCLUSIONS: Individual differences in life satisfaction are determined in part by genetic factors that are largely or entirely non-additive in nature.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Measuring patient satisfaction with anaesthesia: perioperative questionnaire versus standardised face-to-face interview.

BACKGROUND: Patient satisfaction represents an essential part of quality management. Measuring the degree of patient satisfaction can be achieved with a variety of tools such as postoperative visits and patient questionnaires. The primary aim of this study was to quantify the degree of patient satisfaction with anaesthesia. A secondary aim was to compare the questionnaire technique with standardised face-to-face interviewing. METHODS: The authors prospectively studied 700 patients on the second postoperative day. Patients were randomised and allocated to complete either a written questionnaire or to answer the same questions during a standardised face-to-face interview. The questionnaire was subdivided into a set of questions on anaesthesia-related discomfort and another set on satisfaction with anaesthesia care in general. The questions on discomfort were assessed on a 3-point scale, and those on patient satisfaction on a 4-point scale. RESULTS: Response rate was 84% (589 of 700 patients). Internal consistency, as measured by Cronbach's alpha, was 0.84. When evaluating the questions on anaesthesia-related discomfort, the most frequent sensations were "drowsiness" (>75%), "pain at the surgical site" (>55%), and "thirst" (>50%). The data on patient satisfaction showed a high degree of satisfaction (>90%). The responses to questions on anaesthesia-related discomfort revealed only minor differences between the questionnaire and the face-to-face interview. The questions on satisfaction with anaesthesia, however, were answered consistently in a more critical manner during the interview (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The standardised interview may be more suited to determine patient satisfaction than a questionnaire. Quality improvements are possible for emergence from anaesthesia, postoperative pain therapy, and the treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting.

Anesthesia↗