PATIENT SATISFACTION WITH OUTPATIENT PSYCHIATRIC-SERVICES - QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENTS

The main objectives of this study are, in the context of outpatient se rvices in psychiatry: (a) to compare quantitative and qualitative sati sfaction measures to evaluate if high satisfaction scores generally ob served are related to specific characteristics of the quantitative met hodologies that are most often used, and (b) to identify service dimen sions that are associated with satisfaction from the patients' viewpoi nt. Personal interviews were conducted with 263 psychiatric outpatient s. Open-ended questions were presented and were followed by the assist ed administration of two standardized satisfaction scales: the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) and the SHARP-V Comparison of score s derived from the qualitative and quantitative measures showed that e xpressions of dissatisfaction appeared mainly in open-ended questions. Content analysis also showed that service dimensions most frequently evoked by patients were: (a) physical environment and atmosphere, (b) personnel qualities, and (c) intervention characteristics. Theoretical and methodological implications of these results are discussed.