Paediatric otolaryngology - a parental satisfaction study in outpatient surgery

A parental satisfaction survey was administered to obtain information as to exactly how patients and their parents experience essential aspects of the ir treatment. The parents of 178 children who underwent ear. nose and throa t (ENT) surgery completed a questionnaire on various aspects of treatment s atisfaction during a 6-week period. Most of the respondents expressed overa ll satisfaction with the treatment. The factor analysis revealed three pare ntal satisfaction factors. Accordingly, we interpreted the subscales as i) surgical staff and general treatment satisfaction, ii) nursing staff and ge neral information satisfaction and iii) anaesthetic staff satisfaction. The internal consistency values of the subscales, as measured by Cronbach's al pha coefficient, were 0.86, 0.84 and 0.71, respectively. The three scores w ere mutually correlated; this correlation was signifant (0.46-0.67). The du ration of general anaesthesia and demographic Factors had a small, but sign ificant impact on the satisfaction subscores. In conclusion, the satisfacti on study encourages improvement in the evaluation and administration of tre atment.