Patient satisfaction at and after discharge. Effect of a time lag.

OBJECTIVE Patient satisfaction is an important outcome measure for evaluating the quality of medical care. It is remarkable that consistently high satisfaction ratings have been reported over the last 30 years. There are indications that the time point of administration of a patient satisfaction questionnaire has an influence on satisfaction ratings. This study aimed at investigating whether the assessment of patient satisfaction at different time points resulted in different outcomes. METHODS Patient satisfaction was measured twice. The sample consisted of 152 orthopedic patients who filled in the questionnaire at hospital discharge and one to 12 months after discharge. RESULTS At follow-up, satisfaction ratings decreased significantly. Satisfaction with postoperative information decreased the most after discharge. CONCLUSION The results of this study indicate that the time point of administration of a patient satisfaction questionnaire does influence satisfaction ratings. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Patient satisfaction outcomes collected during hospitalization and after discharge may not be interpreted similarly.