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Patient experience in outpatient pediatric otolaryngology
Emily F Boss1, Richard E Thompson
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. erudnic2@jhmi.edu
Insights
Pediatric otolaryngology patients report lower satisfaction than adults, especially younger children. Addressing children's unique needs can improve their overall patient experience.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Healthcare Quality
- Patient Experience
Background:
- Patient experience scores are increasingly vital for assessing healthcare quality.
- This study examines how age influences patient satisfaction in otolaryngology outpatient settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate differences in outpatient otolaryngology patient satisfaction scores based on patient age.
- To identify specific service domains where satisfaction varies between pediatric and adult patients.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 44,010 Press Ganey Medical Practice surveys from otolaryngology patients and parents in 2010.
- Surveys were categorized by age: children (<18 years) in three subgroups (0-5, 6-12, 13-17) and adults (>18 years).
- Kruskal-Wallis and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to compare mean scores and identify associations with highest scores (HI-SCORES) across six service domains.
Main Results:
- Pediatric patients (13.6%) had lower overall mean satisfaction scores (88.4) compared to adults (90.2).
- Children reported lower scores in access, visit, nursing, personal issues, and assessment domains, with equal scores for care provider.
- Youngest children (0-5 years) had the lowest scores across all domains, with scores increasing with age.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric otolaryngology patients exhibit lower satisfaction than adults across most service domains, with the lowest scores among the youngest children.
- The findings highlight a need for otolaryngologists to tailor care to the specific needs of children and their families.
- Improving the patient experience for pediatric populations requires focused strategies addressing age-related differences in satisfaction.
Objectives/Hypothesis:
Patient experience scores are emerging as a key measure of healthcare quality. This report evaluated differences in outpatient otolaryngology patient satisfaction scores by age.
Study Design:
Patient-level analysis of Press Ganey Medical Practice surveys completed by otolaryngology patients or parents in 2010.
Methods:
Surveys were grouped by child (<18 years old) or adult age. Children were evaluated in three subgroups (0-5 years, 6-12 years, and 13-17 years). The survey contains 29 items, which comprise six service domains of access, visit, nursing, provider, personal issues, and assessment. Comparison of mean scores was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis rank test for nonparametric data. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate association of age with receipt of highest scores (HI-SCORES) in each domain.
Results:
Of 44,010 surveys analyzed, 5,996 (13.6%) were pediatric. The majority of children were <6 years (n = 3,141; 52.4%). Mean scores were lower for children overall (88.4 children vs. 90.2 adults) and in domains of access, visit, nursing, issues, and assessment (P < .005, all comparisons); scores were equal for care provider. Mean scores were lowest for children 0 to 5 years across all domains (overall means: 88.0, 0-5; 88.4, 6-12; 89.4, 13-17; 90.2 >18; P = .0001) and increased with age. Multivariate analysis showed that children were less likely than adults to give HI-SCORES overall (odds ratio, 0.81, 95% confidence interval, 0.76-0.86; P < .001) and in all domains (P = .0001) except for provider.
Conclusions:
Compared to adults, satisfaction is lower in all service domains except care provider for pediatric otolaryngology patients, and is lowest for younger children. Otolaryngologists should consider the unique needs of the child and family to improve overall patient experience.
