[Patient satisfaction with psychiatric services. Findings of a key date survey]

The aim of this study was to gain more empirical ideas for the concept of patient satisfaction and its usefulness as an instrument for quality assurance by analyzing the relationship between inpatient experiences and inpatient satisfaction with psychiatric services. Data were obtained from 91 inpatients of the Psychiatric Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich (85% of all patients who had been in hospital at least 3 weeks and who could be asked) by questionnaires on a fixed day. Patients had been asked about their overall satisfaction as well as their experiences with special aspects of the services.Overall satisfaction was high, but there was a remarkable amount of adverse experience with components concerning patient information and time with a psychiatrist offered to the patients. The results give evidence that communication and empathy of the medical staff are key indicators of patient satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Furthermore, results suggest that global satisfaction scores should not be used as an instrument of quality assurance.