Evidence Based Patient Satisfaction

Evidence Based Management Term Project: CAT Summary

Executive Summary:

This paper seeks to examine the factors that most influence patient satisfaction during a hospital stay. After studying the results of many academic studies, many factors were found. These factors can be grouped into four categories: preconceived and demographic factors, hospital factors, type of care factors and other factors. Preconceived and demographic factors include the patient’s own image of their health as well as age, race, mental acuity, income and location. Hospital factors include facility amenities and service from medical providers. Type of care factors relate to the reason or department the patient is utilizing within the hospital. Other factors include reasons why some patients will not respond to patient satisfaction surveys.

These factors vary greatly. Some of them can be controlled by healthcare facilities, and some cannot. It is important for administrators to understand these factors so they can properly evaluate the results of their patient satisfaction scores.

Question:

What factors have the most impact on a patient’s satisfaction level reported in post-stay surveys?

Background and Context:

This paper seeks to find out what factors are most influential on a patient’s satisfaction level during a hospital stay. Patient satisfaction scores are being spotlighted in hospitals across the county and survey results are being tied to reimbursement amounts. This makes it increasingly important to maintain high patient satisfaction scores. Understanding the factors that affect patient satisfaction will help healthcare executives prioritize these factors to increase patient satisfaction levels in their facilities.

The central collection point for patient satisfaction reporting is the Press Ganey reports. Press Ganey Associates Inc. is the South Bend, IN-based patient satisfaction and quality firm reports that patient satisfaction (Convery, Mylod...