Assessing Consumer Satisfaction From Letters to the Hospital

Abstract

A private psychiatric hospital's evaluation research unit assessed consumer satisfaction with service by analyzing the content of letters written in response to an invitation to comment on the hospital experience. Respondents included relatives and referring agents of those who had received treatment. They expressed greatest satisfication with the helpfulness of the hospital, general patient care, and the quality of the clinical staff. They expressed much dissatisfaction with communication, such as adequacy of information about patients' treatment and progress, and with management rules and procedures. The analysis showed that the older the patient and the fewer the number of previous hospitalizations, the greater was the satisfaction expressed.