Are Older Patients More Satisfied With Hospital Care Than Younger Patients?

OBJECTIVE: Determine relationships between age, self-reported health, and satisfaction in a large cohort of hospitalized patients. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Thirty-one hospitals in a large Midwestern metropolitan area. PATIENTS/PARTICIPATION: Randomly selected medical and surgical patients (N = 64,900; mean age, 61 years; 56% female; 84% white) discharged during specific time periods from July 1990 to March 1995 who responded to a mailed survey (overall response rate, 48%). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patients' overall ratings of hospital quality and satisfaction with 5 aspects of care (physician care, nursing care, information provided, discharge instructions, and coordination of care) were measured by a validated survey, which was mailed to patients after discharge. Analyses compared satisfaction in 5 age groups (18 to 35, 36 to 50, 51 to 65, 66 to 80, and > 80 years). Scores for the 5 aspects of care initially increased with age (P < .001) and then declined (P < .001). A similar relationship was found in analyses of the proportion of patients who rated overall quality as “excellent” or “very good.” Satisfaction was also higher in patients with better self-reported health (P < .001). In analyses of patients with poor to fair health, satisfaction scores peaked at age 65 before declining. However, for patients with good to excellent health, scores peaked at age 80. Moreover, declines in satisfaction in older patients were lower in patients with better health. These findings were consistent in multivariable analyses adjusting for potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Satisfaction exhibits a complex relationship with age, with scores increasing until age 65 to 80 and then declining. This relationship was consistent across individual satisfaction scales, but was modified by health status. The results suggest that age and health status should be taken into account when interpreting patient satisfaction data

Avaliação de satisfação de usuários: considerações teórico-conceituais User satisfaction assessment: theoretical and conceptual concerns

O presente artigo desenvolve uma análise crítica da produção científica sobre o tema da satisfação de usuários de serviços de saúde, focalizando, especificamente, os aspectos teórico-conceituais. Abrange a discussão acerca da compreensão do conceito de satisfação e seus quadros teóricos de referência, dos determinantes da satisfação e a aplicação do conceito no campo dos serviços. Foram analisados 56 artigos publicados especialmente em revistas indexadas pelo MEDLINE e Web of Science no período de 1970 a 2005. Os conceitos encontrados provêm principalmente do marketing e da psicologia social, destacando-se a teoria da atitude, da realização da expectativa ou necessidade e da eqüidade. Nota-se que há uma perda da utilidade analítica do conceito satisfação na medida em que seu conceito é ampliado para diversas dimensões dos serviços de saúde.<br>The present article develops a critical analysis of the scientific output on user satisfaction in health services, focusing specifically on theoretical and conceptual aspects. The article discusses the understanding of satisfaction as a concept and its theoretical references and determinants and application of the concept to the field of services. A total of 56 articles were analyzed, published mainly in periodicals indexed in MEDLINE and Web of Science from 1970 to 2005. The concepts identified in this literature review come mainly from marketing and social psychology, emphasizing the theory of attitude, fulfillment of expectations or needs, and equity. There is a loss of analytical usefulness in the concept of satisfaction insofar as it is extended to various dimensions of health services