Patients' perception of surgical services in a district general hospital

Background: In addition to studying the outcomes of surgery in terms of mor tality and morbidity rates and performance, it is also important to conside r how patients perceive the delivery of the service given to them. Methods: A patient satisfaction survey was carried out by the Surgical Epid emiology and Audit Unit of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, on pat ients undergoing surgical procedures by the Department of Surgery at Wrexha m Maelor Hospital. No day cases were included in the study. Two hospitals i n southern England (undergoing the same survey) designated X and Y were use d for comparison. Results: Some 2000 questionnaires were sent out twice; 1666 subjects (83 pe r cent) responded to the first questionnaire and 1445 (87 per cent) of thes e responded to a second questionnaire 6 weeks later (overall response 72 pe r cent). A total of 35 per cent of patients were older than 65 years of age . Some 76 per cent of patients with a malignant condition were seen within 4 weeks of referral compared with 38 per cent of those with a benign condit ion (P < 0.0001). A total of 78 per cent of patients with cancer were admit ted within 4 weeks compared with 84 and 88 per cent in hospitals X and Y. S ome 23 per cent of patients were admitted as an emergency. Eighteen per cen t of patients did not know who presented a consent form to them before surg ery compared with 13 and 17 per cent in hospitals X and Y (P < 0.0001). Som e 26 per cent of patients perceived that they had complications after surge ry compared with 27 and 25 per cent for hospitals X and Y. A total of 35 pe r cent of patients did not receive a follow-up appointment and 20 per cent of these patients were unhappy about this. Two areas of major concern revea led by the responses were the lack of written information and the overall p oor scores generally attained by the emergency admission ward. However, 94 per cent of patients said that they would return to the same consultant. Conclusion: Patients were generally happy with their surgical care and ther e was little difference between the three hospitals studied. Lower scores w ere given when patients were admitted to emergency admission wards. Higher scores were given when patients received printed information.