The S-CAHPS Survey in Urology

The S-CAHPS survey assesses patient experience and satisfaction with 1 episode of surgical care. We describe the initial implementation, results and experience using S-CAHPS in urology.

This was a prospective, institutional review board approved, observational study at a tertiary care academic medical center. Adult patients who underwent elective outpatient or 23-hour observation surgery during a 33-month period were mailed the survey. Survey content was separated into composites 1 to 6 and percent top box scoring (percent of most positive responses) was performed. Summary scores for each composite were correlated with the mean of a global surgeon rating question.

A total of 430 surveys were returned for a 33.8% response rate. Respondents were statistically older than nonrespondents and more likely to reside in Michigan (p <0.05). Mean ± SD global surgeon rating was 9.50 ± 1.04 on a scale of 0-worst to 10-best surgeon possible. Global surgeon rating correlated most highly with the question composites for "How well surgeon communicates with patients after surgery" (composite 5, τ = 0.459), followed by "Information to help you recover from surgery" (composite 4, τ = 0.400). Conversely, there was lower correlation with composites pertaining to "Information to help you prepare for surgery" (composite 1, τ = 0.251).

Survey results suggest that patient satisfaction with the surgeon is more influenced by postoperative communication and information than by preoperative counseling and decision making processes. This underscores the importance of attention to continued postoperative care and interactions. The role of S-CAHPS in urology requires further exploration in this era of quality improvement.