title: Determinants of patient satisfaction and their willingness to return after primary total hip replacement: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: Surveys of patient satisfaction and their willingness to return can be used for the optimization of processes, improving their quality, and increasing the satisfaction and loyalty in customers. This study looked at the factors significantly associated with patient satisfaction after primary total hip replacement (THR), and which affect the patients' willingness to return to the same hospital for future treatment, even when unrelated to their THR.
  
  
  
  Data for the study was collected by written survey from 810 patients of 43 hospitals following their THR. Satisfaction and willingness to return were measured using a validated, multidimensional questionnaire, primarily based on six-point scales, which were then evaluated together with routine hospital data, according to bivariate and multivariate analyses.
  
  
  
  The bivariate analysis showed a strong correlation between satisfaction or willingness to return and the health condition before hospitalization as well as the perceived length of stay. In contrast, the patient's gender and the number of inpatient cases in a hospital with THR had no influence. The binary logistic regression analyses identified three predictors associated with overall satisfaction and seven predictors associated with willingness to return. The strongest factor for both dependent variables was the perceived length of stay, and the weakest factor for satisfaction was the treatment outcome.
  
  
  
  Overall, with all of the medical and service-related issues considered, high levels of satisfaction were reached. Despite the high satisfaction scores, probable causes for declining the willingness to return were identified. The results provide incentives for hospitals and medical professionals to attain a high satisfaction levels in their THR patients.
authors: Department of Public Health, Dresden Medical School, University of Dresden, Loescherstrasse 18, 01309, Dresden, Germany. tom.schaal@gmx.de.
authors: Tom
authors: T
authors: Schaal
authors: Department of Public Health, Dresden Medical School, University of Dresden, Loescherstrasse 18, 01309, Dresden, Germany.
authors: Tonio
authors: T
authors: Schoenfelder
authors: Department of Public Health and Health Care Management, University of Applied Sciences Zwickau, Dr.-Friedrichs-Ring 2A, 08056, Zwickau, Germany.
authors: Joerg
authors: J
authors: Klewer
authors: Department of Public Health, Dresden Medical School, University of Dresden, Loescherstrasse 18, 01309, Dresden, Germany.
authors: Joachim
authors: J
authors: Kugler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Doctor-patient relationship; Expectations; Hospital; Joint replacement; Number of cases treated; Patient satisfaction; Quality improvement; Total hip arthroplasty; Total hip replacement; Willingness to return