Using hospital surveys to enhance the quality of care

Hospitals need the data that valid surveys can provide. However, no data are better than inaccurate or poorly interpreted data. Survey research appears to be deceptively simple. Many hospital managers are not sensitive to the pitfalls in writing a quality questionnaire and some who have their own personal computers believe that they can enter and tabulate the data. However, just as medical technology has advanced and become more complicated in recent years, survey research has also become more sophisticated during the past decade. The use of computers has assisted in the display of vast amounts of survey data, but interpretation is still the key to effective survey research. Many people can read the same table of data but come to different conclusions, depending on their point of view and their level of involvement with the issues being discussed. It is only human nature to interpret data to support what we believe to be the truth. Hospital managers should understand that interpretation of survey data is best done by neutral and skilled professionals who have worked closely with those who have authority to make costly decisions based on the results. A radiologist will tell you that reading a CT scan is an art as well as a science. So is quality survey research.