Is the length of stay in hospital correlated with patient satisfaction?
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the correlation between length of stay (LOS) and patient satisfaction on the level of hospital wards. The underlying hypothesis is that good quality of care leads both to shorter LOS and to patients that are more satisfied.


METHODS
We used standardized LOS and standardized patient satisfaction data from seven specialisms: internal medicine, cardiology, pulmonology, neurology, general surgery, orthopaedic surgery and obstetrics and gynaecology in the period 2003-2010. All LOS data were derived from the National Medical Registration and patient satisfaction scores were measured by a questionnaire covering six aspects of care. The LOS data were standardized for the year of discharge, age, primary diagnosis and procedure. Patient satisfaction data were standardized for the year, age, education and health status.


METHODS
One hundred and eighty-eight Dutch hospital wards.


METHODS
The patient satisfaction data were gathered by questionnaires returned by 102 815 patients.


METHODS
None.


METHODS
Pearson correlations and two-tailed significance. between standardized mean LOS and standardized mean patient satisfaction score.


RESULTS
We found no correlation between LOS and patient satisfaction in six out of seven specialties. We only found significantly higher patient satisfaction scores in pulmonology for some specific items on hospitals wards with a shorter LOS. These items concerned the reception on the ward, the information provided by nurses on admission, the expertise of the nursing staff, the way information was transferred from one person to another and respect for patients' privacy such as in conversations, and during physical examinations.


CONCLUSIONS
We found no evidence that hospital wards with a relatively short mean LOS had higher, or lower, patient satisfaction than hospital wards with a relatively long LOS, with the exception of pulmonology.
Scientific Institute for Quality of Healthcare (IQ healthcare), Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, The Netherlands. hj.borghans1@igz.nl
Ine
I
Borghans
Sophia M
SM
Kleefstra
Rudolf B
RB
Kool
Gert P
GP
Westert
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006739:Hospital Administration; D006748:Hospital Departments / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008511:Medicine / Q000592:standards; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult