[Patient satisfaction in gastrointestinal endoscopy: results of a multicenter study]

The aim of this study was to determine the main quality problems perceived by patients in gastrointestinal endoscopy through a satisfaction survey.

A total of 321 patients from five gastrointestinal endoscopy units were included. Telephone interviews using a previously validated questionnaire on several aspects related to the procedure were carried out. Pareto analyses were performed to pinpoint the most common aspects among the vital few causes at each medical center. Based on the questionnaire, the satisfaction indicators were calculated for each center: the overall satisfaction score (the sum of the responses to the eight questions) and the rate of perceived problems (number of questions with a negative response divided by the number of questions asked).

The most frequent aspects among the vital few were waiting time for an appointment and discomfort during the examination, since both factors were included in the vital few in four of the five medical centers. Significant differences were found among centers in the overall satisfaction score (questionnaire score) (p < 0.001) and for the rate of perceived problems (p < 0.001).

According to the patients, the most problematic aspects were waiting time until the day of the appointment and discomfort during the examination. Perceived quality differed among the participating centers.