[Measuring the degree of patient satisfaction treated at an extracorporeal lithotripsy unit].
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.
Lancina Martín
Juan Alberto
JA
Unidad de Litiasis y Litotricia Renal, Servicio de Urología, Hospital Juan Canalejo, La Coruña, España. lancina@canalejo.org
Rodríguez-Rivera García
Javier
J
Novás Castro
Serafín
S
Fernández Rosado
Enrique
E
Blanco Díez
Antonio
A
Barbagelata López
Alfonso
A
González Martín
Marcelino
M
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*