Effects of patient demands on satisfaction with Japanese hospital care

Objective. The objective of this study was to detect whether there was any difference among the characteristics of patient satisfaction between two pa tient emphasis groups: patients demanding technical elements of hospital ca re and patients demanding interpersonal elements. Design and setting. The sample for this study was drawn from in-patients di scharged from 77 voluntarily participating hospitals throughout Japan. The relationship between overall satisfaction with hospital care and patient sa tisfaction, and the evaluation of a hospital's reputation, was explored by stepwise multiple regression analysis of 33 variables relevant to aspects o f hospital care for each patient group. Results. In the interpersonal emphasis (IE) group,'nurse's kindness and war mth' was associated significantly with overall satisfaction, while 'skill o f nursing care' and 'nurse's explanation' were significant predictors of ov erall satisfaction in the technical emphasis (TE) group. On the other hand, 'doctor's clinical competence', 'recovery from distress and anxiety', and i tems pertaining to the hospital's reputation were significantly related to overall satisfaction in both emphasis groups. Conclusion. For overall patient satisfaction, it is essential to satisfy sp ecific items related to the aspect of hospital care emphasized by the patie nt. Specific significant predictors of overall satisfaction (e.g. 'doctor's clinical competence') were indispensable measures of professional performa nce in hospital care, irrespective of the patients' emphasis. A positive pe rception of hospital reputation items might increase overall patient satisf action with Japanese hospitals.