Tom Schaal

Patient satisfaction and willingness to return to the provider among women undergoing gynecological surgery

PurposeTo identify factors associated with ‘patient satisfaction’ and ‘willingness to return to the provider’ in gynecology and to assess similarities as well as differences between the two concepts.MethodsStudy data were obtained from 968 randomly selected gynecology patients discharged from 22 hospitals who responded to a mailed survey. The validated instrument consisted of 37 items and assessed medical and service aspects of care, patient and visit characteristics. The dependent variables consisted of ratings of willingness to return to the provider and overall satisfaction. Bivariate and multivariate techniques were used to reveal relationships between indicators and both dependent variables.ResultsThe multivariate analyses identified individualized medical care, kindness of medical practitioners, treatment outcome and organization of discharge as the most consistent predictors of the patients’ likelihood to return and overall satisfaction. Differences between both concepts pertained to the significance of service variables (cleanliness and quality of food) for patient satisfaction and visit-related characteristics (length of stay and occurrence of complications) for willingness to return.ConclusionsStudy findings suggest that patient satisfaction and willingness to return to the provider do not reflect the same concepts. Although service aspects such as quality of food influence satisfaction ratings, they do not increase the likelihood that patients choose the same hospital in case of another treatment. Communication between patients and medical practitioners is highly important. Revealed predictors of both concepts are alterable by healthcare professionals and should be focused on to enhance patient satisfaction and to increase the probability patients return to their provider.

Determinants of patient satisfaction and their willingness to return after primary total hip replacement: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundSurveys of patient satisfaction and their willingness to return can be used for the optimization of processes, improving their quality, and increasing the satisfaction and loyalty in customers. This study looked at the factors significantly associated with patient satisfaction after primary total hip replacement (THR), and which affect the patients’ willingness to return to the same hospital for future treatment, even when unrelated to their THR.MethodsData for the study was collected by written survey from 810 patients of 43 hospitals following their THR. Satisfaction and willingness to return were measured using a validated, multidimensional questionnaire, primarily based on six-point scales, which were then evaluated together with routine hospital data, according to bivariate and multivariate analyses.ResultsThe bivariate analysis showed a strong correlation between satisfaction or willingness to return and the health condition before hospitalization as well as the perceived length of stay. In contrast, the patient’s gender and the number of inpatient cases in a hospital with THR had no influence. The binary logistic regression analyses identified three predictors associated with overall satisfaction and seven predictors associated with willingness to return. The strongest factor for both dependent variables was the perceived length of stay, and the weakest factor for satisfaction was the treatment outcome.ConclusionsOverall, with all of the medical and service-related issues considered, high levels of satisfaction were reached. Despite the high satisfaction scores, probable causes for declining the willingness to return were identified. The results provide incentives for hospitals and medical professionals to attain a high satisfaction levels in their THR patients.

Effects of perceptions of care, medical advice, and hospital quality on patient satisfaction after primary total knee replacement: A cross-sectional study

Introduction The increase in the number of patients presenting with osteoarthritis in the past decade has led to a 32% increase in knee replacement surgeries designed to reduce restrictions on patient movement and improve their quality of life. Patient satisfaction is becoming an increasingly important indicator of quality of care. This study was designed to identify predictors of various service components in the treatment process and hospital key performance indicators significantly associated with patient satisfaction. Materials and methods A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted with 856 patients having their primary total knee replacements at 41 hospitals. Patient satisfaction was queried via a validated, multidimensional questionnaire mainly using a six-point scale. In addition to bivariate calculations, patient satisfaction was the dependent variable in a binary logistic regression model. Results The bivariate analysis showed a strong association between satisfaction and sex (male or female), the patients’ health before admission, and the length of stay. The number of cases treated at each hospital did not reveal any impact on satisfaction. The multivariate analysis identified three predictors associated with overall satisfaction. The strongest factor was the treatment outcome and the weakest was the quality of food. It became apparent that the statutory procedure minimums were not being met. Conclusions The relevant factors influencing patient satisfaction were partially the same as previous study results and allowed more detailed conclusions. The results provide suggestions across hospitals that could help health care providers better meet needs of patients after knee arthroplasties.

P10: Ungleiche Stichprobenbildung beeinträchtigt den Wettbewerb im Rahmen der Transparenzprüfungen

zur Einrichtungsgrose richtlinienkonform durchgefuhrt. Die Anzahl der einbezogenen Heimbewohner lag bei 144 (62,3 %) Prufungen oberhalb der Vorgabewerte. Es bestand eine statistisch signifikante Abweichung zwischen der Stichprobengrose in den Transparenzberichten und den Anforderungen aus den Qualitatsprufungs-Richtlinien (p < 0.001). Ein paralleler Anstieg der Abweichung war mit Zunahme der Heimplatzkapazitat nicht erkennbar. Die groste Stichprobe umfasste unter den Heimen mit mehr als 50 Betten 16 % der versorgten Bewohner. Diskussion/Schlussfolgerungen: Die Varianz der Stichprobengrose bei identischer Pflegeplatzkapazitat fuhrte zu einer unterschiedlichen Reprasentativitat unter den Einrichtungen innerhalb der Qualitatsberichte. Eine Wettbewerbsverzerrung infolge fehlender Chancengleichheit konnte somit nicht ausgeschlossen werden. Zur Klarung, ob homogene Stichprobengrosen (N = 9) durch die Novellierung der Pflege-Transparenzvereinbarung ab 2014 eine Ungleichbehandlung ausschliesen, sind aufbauend auf den Ergebnissen weiterer Untersuchungen erforderlich. Einleitung/Fragestellung: Die Transparenzprufungen zur Qualitatsbeschreibung von Pflegeheimen sollen den Wettbewerb zwischen Leistungsanbietern fordern. Dabei wird zu jeder Uberprufung in Abhangigkeit der Einrichtungsgrose eine Zufallsstichprobe von 5 bis 15, jedoch nicht mehr als 10 % der versorgten Bewohner gebildet. Im Rahmen dieser Studie wurde untersucht, in welchem Umfang die Vorgaben zur Stichprobenbildung erfullt wurden und ob sich durch potentielle Abweichungen des Prufumfangs zwischen Pflegeheimen mit gleicher Bettenanzahl infolge fehlender Chancengleichheit eine Wettbewerbsverzerrung einstellte. Methodik/Stichprobe: Es wurden samtliche online verfugbaren Transparenzberichte im Direktionsbezirk Dresden in die Auswertung einbezogen (Stand: 09.03.13, N = 231, Quellen: Pflegelotse, AOK-Pflegenavigator). Es wurden deskriptive Statistiken und Haufigkeiten berechnet. Unterschiede zwischen den Vorgaben aus den Qualitatsprufungs-Richtlinien und den gebildeten Stichproben wurden mit nichtparametrischen Tests untersucht (p < 0,05). Ergebnisse: Bei 87 (37,7 %) Transparenzprufungen wurden die Vorgaben der Stichprobenbildung in Abhangigkeit