title: Migration background and patient satisfaction in a pediatric nephrology outpatient clinic.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We examined the association of a migration background and patient satisfaction in a pediatric nephrology outpatient clinic in Germany.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study of 348 families presenting at the Pediatric Nephrology Outpatient Department of Charité University Children's Hospital in Berlin during 2008. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire containing basic sociodemographic information, a subjective categorical rating of disease severity and communication with the medical team, and a validated patient satisfaction score (ZUF-8) derived from a customer satisfaction score used by industry and modified for healthcare providers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 348 families included in the study, 131 patients (38 %) had a migration background (20 different nationalities, 22 different native languages). Patient satisfaction (rated on a scale from 8 to 40) was significantly higher in families without (32.9  ±  4.6) than in those with a migration background (30.8  ±  4.7; p < 0.0001). A multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that trust in doctors, friendliness of the doctor, severity of the child's disease, number of medications prescribed, and a migration background were significantly and independently correlated with patient satisfaction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Migrant families were less satisfied with the provision of the outpatient care provided by our department than non-migrants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Züllich
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zimmering
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Keil
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Querfeld
mesh_terms: D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D009398:Nephrology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010045:Outpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010290:Parents; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014171:Transients and Migrants