Determinants of client satisfaction with the medical consultant and advisory board for environmental medicine ("UMB") of the city of Vienna

Client satisfaction is a relevant aspect for assessing the efficiency of a Medical Advisory Board. The study presented here aimed at determining the f actors that guarantee satisfaction. These findings are essential for the fu rther development of the service of the Advisory Board of the City of Vienn a for Environmental Medicine ("UMB"). To this end a brief anonymous questionnaire was sent to 245 clients. This c omprised elements evaluating the degree of satisfaction with the consultant service of the Advisory Board, fulfilment rate of expectations, solutions offered for various problems, and whether - if necessary - the "UMB" Adviso ry Board would be consulted again. A satisfactory response rate of 43% was obtained. The results show a high d egree of satisfaction among the clients with the consultations (= 78%) desp ite unresolved or only partly resolved problems (71%) and questions that re mained open for discussion (38%). Approximately 90% of the clients would ag ain consult "UMB" for advice. The reasons for consultation did not show any significant influence on the client satisfaction. However, satisfaction of clients depended on whether or not a solution was found in respect of thei r problem and on tire action taken by "UMB" to solve it. Summarising the findings, the analyses show that apart from an-the-spot ass essment and detailed inspection, comprehensive case histories and interview s are an important basis for further clarification of problems caused by en vironmental factors.