Patient Satisfaction in Emergency General Surgery: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study

Ned Kinnear, Matheesha Herath, Samantha Jolly, Jennie Han, Minh Tran, Dominic Parker, Michael O’Callaghan, Derek Hennessey, Christopher Dobbins, Tarik Sammour, James Moore

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: The importance of the patient experience is increasingly being recognised. However, there is a dearth of studies regarding factors affecting patient-reported outcomes in emergency general surgery (EGS), including none from the Southern Hemisphere. We aim to prospectively assess factors associated with patient satisfaction in this setting. Methods: In this prospective cross-sectional study, all consecutive adult patients admitted to an acute surgical unit over four weeks were invited to complete a validated Patient-Reported Experience Measures questionnaire. These were completed either in person when discharge was imminent or by telephone <4 weeks post-discharge. Responses were used to determine factors associated with overall patient satisfaction. Results: From 146 eligible patients, 100 (68%) completed the questionnaire, with a mean overall satisfaction score of 8.3/10. On multivariate analyses, eight factors were significantly associated with increased overall satisfaction. Five of these were similar to those previously prescribed by other like studies, being patient age >50 years, sufficient analgesia, satisfaction with the level of senior medical staff, important questions answered by nurses and confidence in decisions made about treatment. Three identified factors were new: sufficient privacy in the emergency department, sufficient notice prior to discharge and feeling well looked after in hospital. Conclusions: Factors associated with patient satisfaction were identified at multiple points of the patient journey. While some of these have been reported in similar studies, most differed. Hospitals should assess factors valued by their EGS population prior to implementing initiatives to improve patient satisfaction.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2950-2958
Number of pages9
JournalWorld Journal of Surgery
Volume44
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2020

Keywords

  • Surgery
  • Emergency surgery
  • Patient outcomes
  • Patient satisfaction

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Patient Satisfaction in Emergency General Surgery: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this