High tech, high touch: common denominators in patient satisfaction

An ongoing Patient Satisfaction Study at Foothills Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has surveyed 1,300 discharged patients in the past year as a means of empirically measuring levels of satisfaction during the patients' hospital experiences. The survey was designed according to proven market attitude research techniques and uses those dimensions identified as important by patients interviewed in the preliminary research. The study indicates that "being treated as an individual" and "having timely, adequate information about my condition" are more important to patient satisfaction than medical outcome. Patients have expressed strong support for the study, indicating that they want to be more actively involved in the decision-making process concerning their care and treatment. The feedback generated by the study offers hospitals a marketing tool and a valuable opportunity to work together with patients to provide the best healthcare possible at the best cost.