Image and Imaging an Emergency Department: Expense and Benefit of Different Quality Assessment Methods

Introduction. In this era of high-tech medicine, it is becoming increasingly important to assess patient satisfaction. There are several methods to do so, but these differ greatly in terms of cost, time, and labour and external validity. The aim of this study is to describe and compare the structure and implementation of different methods to assess the satisfaction of patients in an emergency department. Methods. The structure and implementation of the different methods to assess patient satisfaction were evaluated on the basis of a 90-minute standardised interview. Results. We identified a total of six different methods in six different hospitals. The average number of patients assessed was 5012, with a range from 230 (M5) to 20 000 patients (M2). In four methods (M1, M3, M5, and M6), the questionnaire was composed by a specialised external institute. In two methods, the questionnaire was created by the hospital itself (M2, M4).The median response rate was 58.4% (range 9–97.8%). With a reminder, the response rate increased by 60% (M3). Conclusion. The ideal method to assess patient satisfaction in the emergency department setting is to use a patient-based, in-emergency department-based assessment of patient satisfaction, planned and guided by expert personnel. 1. Introduction In recent decades, there have been major technical improvements in the health systems of western countries [1]. In this era of high technology, patient satisfaction has become increasingly important [1, 2]. Since the 1950s, patient satisfaction has had an important role in the evaluation of medical care [2]. There are various reasons why it may be profitable for a hospital to perform surveys on patient satisfaction [3]. Several studies have found that satisfied patients suffer less pain [4, 5]; they require fewer (secondary) operations and more rarely have complications [4, 5]. Moreover, satisfied patients exhibit better compliance [4–6]. This simplifies therapy and enhances treatment efficiency [6]. There are also reports that satisfied patients stay for up to 50% less time in hospitals [1, 4, 7]. On the other hand, patient dissatisfaction is a decisive reason for complaints after leaving the hospital [8] as well as for litigation [5, 9]. Thus, an improvement in patient satisfaction can make a major contribution to cost reduction and to maintaining competitiveness [3]. Performing surveys on patient satisfaction is, therefore, an essential patient-centred improvement process [10]. A very wide variety of methods are now in use to assess patient satisfaction with some drastic