title: [Changes in the complaints made to a General and Gastrointestinal Surgery Department after a change in hospital structure and function].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The complaints to a medical service are a measure of the quality of health care perceived by the patients. The aim of this study was to analyse the differences found in the percentage of complaints made to the General and Gastrointestinal Surgery Department (GGSD) with the changes made due to moving to a new hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  A longitudinal study of the percentage of complaints made to the GGSD in two 6 month periods in the same year (periods A and B). The Department was moved to a new hospital between the two periods. The percentage complaints associated with the hospital and outpatient activity is compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage complaints made to the GGSD was 3.02% directed at the hospital service and 0.44% to outpatient care. When both periods were compared, a statistically significant difference was observed in the hospital complaints (A: 3.74% vs B: 2.20%, P=.006) and in the outpatient complaints (A: 0.53% vs. B: 0.34%, P=.005). It could also be shown that there was a continuous significant correlation in the parallel decrease in the hospital and outpatient complaints (R:0.988 P<.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The structural and functional change due to moving to a new hospital showed that the percentage of complaints made to the GGSD changed significantly in the period studied. Prospective multicentre studies are required to evaluate whether these results can be extrapolated to other services.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Cirugía General y del Aparato Digestivo, Hospital General, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Universitat de Barcelona, Sant Boi de Llobregat. Barcelona, España. david.pares@pssjd.org
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Parés
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jimeno
authors.forename: Selva
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ibaceta
authors.forename: Judit
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hermoso
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Pradell
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vallverdú
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Comajuncosas
authors.forename: Rolando
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Orbeal
authors.forename: Pere
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gris
authors.forename: Jose-Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Lopez-Negre
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Urgellés
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sancho-Gallego
mesh_terms: D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures / Q000592:standards*; D013502:General Surgery / Q000592:standards*; D006274:Health Facility Moving; D006748:Hospital Departments / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D013030:Spain; D013997:Time Factors