title: Measuring patient satisfaction in healthcare organizations: qualitative and quantitative approaches.
abstract: Patient perceptions of the quality of services provided are a key factor in determining a healthcare organization's competitive advantage and survival. This article examines the advantages, disadvantages, and problems associated with nine different qualitative and quantitative methods of measuring patient satisfaction with service quality and concludes with guidelines for measurement of patient satisfaction and implementation of managerial follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Services Administration, School of Health Related Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294, USA.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Fottler
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Bach
mesh_terms: D017144:Focus Groups; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000379:methods; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008332:Management Quality Circles; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012107:Research Design; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States