DEVELOPING AND USING A PATIENT SATISFACTION SURVEY - A CASE-STUDY

Patient satisfaction is an important component of quality management i n student health services. Satisfaction can influence if, where, and w hen a student seeks care, follows instructions, and continues a relati onship with a specific provider. This case study describes the rationa le for and process used in designing a system to measure patient satis faction for the university health services at The Pennsylvania State U niversity. In addition to collecting information about the health cent er from its clients, the authors obtained valuable information about s urvey development, administration, and data management. Their experien ce will guide future efforts to improve both the quality of services o ffered and the methods the health center uses to measure clients' sati sfaction with those services.