Is there a problem with quality in the Greek hospital sector? Preliminary results from a patient satisfaction survey

Many Greek politicians and media attribute high dissatisfaction with the public health services to the quality of public hospitals. Provoking this view, this study attempts to investigate the patient's opinion and provides some preliminary results for the level of services provided by three public hospitals. A patient satisfaction survey with a self-administered questionnaire of 1295 adult patients show high rates for medical and nursing services and fair rates for hotel services and facilities. The medical-nursing index (which can range from 0 to 100) shows a mean of 86.4 and the rate for the hotel services is 75.9. Statistical analysis shows different satisfaction rates by age and level of education, an outcome that is consistent with other similar satisfaction studies. Differences of patient satisfaction relating to the area of hospital need to be examined carefully by gathering more data from Greek hospitals. Our preliminary results demonstrate that the high dissatisfaction of the public cannot be attributed to the quality of hospital care.