Paediatric otolaryngology--a parental satisfaction study in outpatient surgery

A parental satisfaction survey was administered to obtain information as to exactly how patients and their parents experience essential aspects of their treatment. The parents of 178 children who underwent ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery completed a questionnaire on various aspects of treatment satisfaction during a 6-week period. Most of the respondents expressed overall satisfaction with the treatment. The factor analysis revealed three parental satisfaction factors. Accordingly, we interpreted the subscales as i) surgical staff and general treatment satisfaction, ii) nursing staff and general information satisfaction and iii) anaesthetic staff satisfaction. The internal consistency values of the subscales, as measured by Cronbach's alpha coefficient, were 0.86, 0.84 and 0.71, respectively. The three scores were mutually correlated; this correlation was significant (0.46-0.67). The duration of general anaesthesia and demographic factors had a small, but significant impact on the satisfaction subscores. In conclusion, the satisfaction study encourages improvement in the evaluation and administration of treatment.