Analysis of Patient Satisfaction Survey in Multi- Specialty Accredited Tertiary Care Hospital in Northern India

Expectations of today's healthcare consumers mirror other industries, with customers used to benefits like 24-hour services or mobile access. The ideal patient experience is built on clinical and nonclinical factors like convenience, customer service and staff attitudes. The measurement of patient satisfaction is an integral part of hospital market research. Aim was to understand response rates, cumulative satisfaction levels and effect of the accreditation process on response rates. The data-based study was conducted with a brief, easy to complete questionnaire suitable for a hospitalbased setting. The Woodward scale was followed as a base line. Feedbacks were collected from January 2011 to December 2013, from a total of 26991 patients, with 11 parameters judged over a 3 point scale to capture the level of satisfaction of admitted patients. There was a statistically significant increase in the number of responses and response rates in 2012 and 2013 from their respective previous years, (p<0.001). This was attributed to the awareness created amongst the staff about this aspect during the accreditation process. Out of 11 aspects rated, the nursing care was rated best followed by the medical care. The lowest ratings were received by the cafeteria and the discharge process. The patient satisfaction surveys are an important tool to know the voice of the customer and can be used as a tool for improving the care delivered. The accreditation process does help in raising awareness about the importance of the customer feedbacks, their analysis and use of the same for improving the service quality.