Prediction of patient satisfaction with care one year after burn

The aim of this prospective study was to find predictors of patient satisfaction with burn care. Sixty-nine consecutive adult patients undergoing acute treatment in a Burn Unit completed the following questionnaires: the Swedish universities Scales of Personality, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Socio-demographic data and burn severity were registered. One year later they completed the Patient Satisfaction-Results and Quality (PS-RESKVA) questionnaire containing four subscales: quality of contact with nursing staff (QCN), quality of contact with medical staff (QCM), adequate treatment information (INF), and global satisfaction with treatment (GS). Each subscale was treated as a dependent variable in separate multiple regression models. Overall, the explained variance was low to moderate (range adjusted R(2)=0.06-0.19). Variables remaining in the models were: intrusive symptoms, and the personality trait stress susceptibility for QCN; age, education, and symptoms of hyperarousal for QCM; trait irritability for INF; and age and the personality traits detachment and social desirability for GS. In conclusion, psychological and socio-demographic variables predicted satisfaction to some degree, whereas injury severity did not. The low amount of explained variance suggests that other factors, hypothetically related to care itself, determine patient satisfaction as assessed by the PS-RESKVA.