Use of patient satisfaction data in a continuous quality improvement program for endoscopic sinus surgery.
OBJECTIVE
Continuous quality improvement (CQI) is an effort by health care providers to improve the quality of service by continuously exceeding patients' expectations. Patient satisfaction is one of the measures of the quality of care. The aims of this study were to report the patients' evaluation of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) and to explore the feasibility in using patient satisfaction data in the CQI program for ESS.


METHODS
Eighty-three patients completed a validated patient satisfaction survey (PSS) 1 month after undergoing ESS. Logistic regression models were applied to determine the confounders of patient satisfaction.


RESULTS
In general, 72% of patients were very satisfied with the services. Education level and milder disease correlated with higher overall satisfaction levels (P </= 0.01). Anesthesia, the addition of nasal septal surgery, intranasal packing, and postoperative sinuscopy had significant impacts on patient satisfaction (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
ESS is a good technique to evaluate for implementing efforts in quality improvement. Confounding factors need to be adjusted before patient satisfaction data can be used in a CQI program.
Tai
Chih-Jaan
CJ
Department of Otolaryngology, China Medical University Hospital, taichung, Taiwan.
Chu
Chia-Chen
CC
Liang
Shu-Cheng
SC
Lin
Ting-Fu
TF
Huang
Zu-Jin
ZJ
Tsai
Yao-Han
YH
Wang
Pa-Chun
PC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011361:Professional Competence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000601:surgery*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires