COMPONENTS AND PREDICTORS OF PATIENT SATISFACTION

In a questionnaire study of 700 patients from a large UK National Heal th Service general hospital, proximal and organizational aspects of pa tient satisfaction were studied. Factor analysis revealed three compon ents of proximal patient satisfaction: overall process of care in the hospital; improvement in and understanding of health; and psychologica l well-being. Eleven scales measuring relevant aspects of hospital car e and environment were derived. In a second study, involving 483 patie nts from a different general hospital, confirmatory factor analyses co nfirmed the robustness of the factor structure derived in the first st udy. Finally, aspects of care that best predicted satisfaction were id entified. These included nursing and medical information practices, so cialization procedures and patient participation. The implications of these findings are explored in the context of organizational theories of participation and the potential applications of the findings are co nsidered.