INFORMATION NEEDS OF HOSPITAL PATIENTS - A SURVEY OF SATISFACTION LEVELS IN A LARGE CITY HOSPITAL

The study presents the principal results of a survey into patient info rmation needs and satisfaction levels in a large general hospital as p art of a feasibility study on the provision of a patient information s ervice. The background to the survey is the change in the patient/doct or relationship to one of consumer/supplier, coupled with the growing awareness of the importance of patient education and information as a form of preventive medicine. The survey found that information given p rior to admission increased satisfaction rates for information provisi on generally, but also led to more questions being asked during the st ay in hospital. Patients were given information freely, though there a re slight gender differences, and there is a preference for verbal rat her than written information from doctors. There are implications for patient information services. A range of patient resources is provided by wards, but there are problems of co-ordination of supply and the h uman resources needed to manage them effectively.