[Perceived quality of care in a nursing home in Piedmont (Italy)]

A cross-sectional study was conducted in the years 2003, 2005 and 2006, to assess client satisfaction in a nursing home in Piedmont (Italy). A structured questionnaire was used to evaluate three dimensions of care: interpersonal relationships, clinical care received and room comfort. Six-hundred eighty-four patients participated in the study. Of these, 33.6% were surgical patients, 33.6% were rehabilitation patients and 32.8% were medical patients. Overall, quality of care was reported as being "excellent" by 85% of patients in 2003, 85.3% of patients in 2005 and 66.1% in 2006. The study has made it possible to give a general description of client satisfaction regarding quality of services provided in a nursing home, and to identify the major critical areas. These should be analyzed in more detail, in order to identify which factors are most relevant to the patient and to implement corrective actions.