Patient satisfaction in surgery

Abstract

Patient satisfaction is one of the most important patient reported outcomes and can be thought of as an ultimate endpoint to the assessment of health care quality. Although patient satisfaction has been studied for many years, a lack of understanding and absence of a precise definition of satisfaction have been flaws in the majority of research to date. Persistently high patient satisfaction ratings over many years may in fact reflect poorly constructed measurement tools, as opposed to high quality care. This chapter explores the meaning of patient satisfaction, including the analysis of satisfaction determinants and satisfaction components. The importance of satisfaction measurement is also discussed, and guidance on creating satisfaction measurement tools proposed. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010.