title: Patient surveys. There for the asking.
abstract: The government's proposal to survey 100,000 patients a year in order to improve services faces considerable organisational problems. We estimate it will cost 200,000 pounds a year. The simple opinion poll approach should be avoided in favour of a detailed questionnaire. A rolling programme of surveys in specific service areas might be more meaningful than a comprehensive annual survey. The aims of capturing patients' views and comparing performance across the country could prove incompatible.
authors.affiliation: Health Services Management Centre, Birmingham University.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McIver
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Meredith
mesh_terms: D006076:Government; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D010067:Ownership; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012107:Research Design; D012109:Research Support as Topic; D013222:State Medicine / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom