title: [Measuring the degree of patient satisfaction treated at an extracorporeal lithotripsy unit].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine by questionnaires the level of satisfaction of patients diagnosed of urinary lithiasis treated by extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) in our Renal Stone Centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 100 patients with urinary lithiasis who underwent ESWL, 54 males and 46 females with an average age of 50 years, answered a Lickert type questionnaire (score 1 to 5) consisting of 6 questions to evaluate the patient satisfaction regarding the treatment received. The relationship between answers to each question and patient's clinical characteristics were analyzed applying chi-square and linear regression to determine the level of significance of these relationships.
  
  
  RESULTS
  General satisfaction level was high, with a mean score of 4.33 for the six questions. The most valued question was the one referred to assistance received in relation to the planned medical one. Questions referred to treatment suitability, expected timing, and absence of complexity were also highly valued. The least valued question was the one referred to pain level during treatment, which level was kept in a good approval degree with a mean score of 3.81 despite the fact that some patients said they suffered more pain than expected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ESWL resulted in a high level of satisfaction among patients treated for urinary lithiasis, revealed not only by its suitability, easy planning and performance, but also by its low level of complexity. Pain experienced by these patients during treatment was well-tolerated, so that general use of anesthesia was not required.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Litiasis y Litotricia Renal, Servicio de Urología, Hospital Juan Canalejo, La Coruña, España. lancina@canalejo.org
authors.forename: Juan Alberto
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lancina Martín
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Rivera García
authors.forename: Serafín
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Novás Castro
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernández Rosado
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blanco Díez
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barbagelata López
authors.forename: Marcelino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: González Martín
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006757:Hospital Units / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008096:Lithotripsy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014545:Urinary Calculi / Q000628:therapy*