INFORMATION AS A FUNDAMENTAL ATTRIBUTE AMONG OUTPATIENTS ATTENDING THE NUCLEAR-MEDICINE SERVICE OF A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

The aim of this study was to assess outpatients' satisfaction with the service received in the nuclear medicine service of the Hospital Clin ic i Provincial of Barcelona in February 1993. The patients were rando mly assigned to one of two groups: group 1 received information about their diagnostic procedure, whereas group 2 did not (a control group). A questionnaire was used to assess patients' degree of satisfaction. The questionnaire was administered to 803 patients, 243 (30.26%) of wh om completed it and returned it. The following factors were significan tly related to high scores on the satisfaction scale: age (P<0.015), w aiting time (P<0.001), treatment by assisting personnel (P<0.001), tre atment by personnel at the service reception (P<0.01), waiting room ha bitability (P<0.01), communication variables (P<0.03) and low scores o n the anxiety scale (P<0.02). Group 1 perceived more positively treatm ent by personnel at reception (P<0.041), treatment by assisting person nel (P<0.027), waiting room habitability (P<0.035) and communication v ariables (P<0.001). The anxiety scale scores among this group were sig nificantly lower. We conclude that when information is supplied to pat ients, their anxiety decreases before a diagnostic procedure, which si gnificantly improves their perception of the factors that generate sat isfaction among patients.