[Patients' satisfaction with their hospital stay at the Department of Psychiatry, Amager Hospital, in 2000 and 2003].
BACKGROUND
Our goal was to compare patients' satisfaction with their hospital stay at the Department of Psychiatry, Copenhagen University Hospital, Amager, before and after the department was moved to newly built facilities.


METHODS
In 2000 and again in 2003, patients who were about to be discharged from the department were asked to anonymously fill in a 24-item questionnaire related to their satisfaction with their recent hospital stay.


RESULTS
The percentage of participants was 39% of discharged patients in 2000 and 33% in 2003. A high percentage rated their general satisfaction with the hospital stay as either "good" or "very good" (94% in 2000 and 88% in 2003). From 2000 to 2003, we noted a significant (23%) increase in the percentage who rated their satisfaction with the buildings as either "good" or "very good". In other areas, there was reduced patient satisfaction. We noted a reduction with respect to the respondents' satisfaction with the hospital staff on specific matters; for instance, a significant (23%) reduction in the respondents' perception of the hospital staff having spent sufficient time with them.


CONCLUSIONS
After the department was moved to newly built facilities, patients' satisfaction with the buildings appears to have increased. In other areas, such as satisfaction with the hospital staff on specific matters, patient satisfaction appears to have decreased. The results should be interpreted with caution due to the low participation rate.
Hansen
Bjarne
B
Amager Hospital, Psykiatrisk Afdeling. bgh@dadlnet.dk
Sørensen
Holger Jelling
HJ
Aggernaes
Karin Helle
KH
D003718:Denmark; D006749:Hospital Design and Construction; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires