Determinants of patient satisfaction after cataract surgery in 3 settings

Purpose: To analyze the determinants of satisfaction and postoperative visu al function after cataract surgery in 3 settings in The Netherlands. Setting: University Hospital Maastricht (outpatient care), Atrium Medical C enter Heerlen (inpatient care), and Medical Center Maastricht Annadal (outp atient care), Maastricht, The Netherlands. Methods: This cross-sectional study consisted of 150 patients of 50 years a nd older who had first-eye phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implan tation. Data were collected by a written questionnaire. The following param eters were measured: medical outcome, postoperative function, patient satis faction with medical outcome and hospital care, and overall patient satisfa ction. Results: In general, patients were very satisfied (mean score 8.43 on a IO- point scale ranging from 1 = very bad to 10 = excellent). The 3 centers did not differ regarding the patient satisfaction (P = .092). However, postope rative visual function (P = .012), counseling (P = .010), and waiting time (P < .001) were different among the settings. Patient satisfaction with hos pital care had a stronger correlation with overall satisfaction than patien t satisfaction with the medical outcome (r = 0.669 versus r = 0.543, respec tively). Conclusions: A causal model of patient satisfaction was tested, indicating that satisfaction was related to the patient's preoperative expectations an d the quality of care given during the hospital stay and follow-up at the o utpatient clinic. This emphasizes the relevance of patient education (to se t realistic expectations) and counseling (need for care) by hospital staff in a cataract surgery setting. (C) 2000 ASCRS and ESCRS.