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02-Oct-2011
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Arch Hellen Med, 28(5), September-October 2011, 667-673 ORIGINAL PAPER Measurement of patient satisfaction: A method for improving hospital quality and effectiveness M. Kalogeropoulou |
OBJECTIVE Measurement of patient satisfaction with the healthcare services provided by six general public hospitals in Athens and estimation of the gap between the patients' expectations and the effectiveness of the hospitals.
METHOD A total of 300 patients were enrolled in the study, using a stratified sampling method. Satisfaction was measured with the use of a three-point Likert scale in which the score of 1 represented complete dissatisfaction and 3 complete satisfaction. Questionnaires were filled out by personal interview, during the period April-May 2008.
RESULTS The response rate was 71%. Altogether, 67% of the patients were completely dissatisfied with the information provided by the hospital about their health problems, the diagnosis and the treatment, and stated that they were not asked to give their consent for any treatment. However, 57.3% of the patients were completely satisfied with the hospital admission procedures and 32.7% with the efficiency of the healthcare services provided, while 27.1% complained about violation of confidentiality and privacy. In addition, 82.7% complained about lack of cleanliness, the conditions of the stay and the quality of the food, while 160 patients were completely dissatisfied with the attitude of the personnel. The majority of the patients stated that a number of factors, such as cleanliness (93.5%), hospital substructure (92.5%), attitude of the personnel (92.1%) and hospital equipment (87.9%) need improvement in order to increase hospital efficiency and quality.
CONCLUSIONS The evaluation of patient satisfaction revealed that the general profile of the hospital is affected by the cleanliness conditions of stay and quality of the food. Patients require specialized anthropocentric healthcare services, and demand satisfaction of their basic rights, such as receiving information, giving consent and respect of their individuality. They rate highly the understanding, politeness and specialized knowledge of the hospital personnel.
Key words: Effectiveness, Expectations, Hospital, Patients, Satisfaction.
