Patient satisfaction in two departments of surgery in a community hospital

Patient satisfaction with medical and nursing care was evaluated in two surgical departments of a community teaching hospital in Petah Tikva (now called Rabin Medical Center, Golda Campus). The interview, conducted before the patients were discharged, related to their perception of the preoperative period, the attitude of the personnel in the operating room before anesthesia was administered, and their satisfaction during the postoperative period. The questionnaire completed by the interviewer included questions on the time that elapsed from admission to the first examination by a physician and a nurse, whether the patient received information about the operation and its possible complications, was examined by the anesthetists, received details regarding the results of the surgical procedure, and what his or her impression was of the attitude of the nursing staff. The patients were asked to rate their evaluation on a scale from 1 to 10. The results showed high satisfaction with the services provided and were similar for both departments. The small number of patients whose satisfaction rated from 5 to 8 complained about the sanitary conditions in the toilets, the overcrowded departments, and the lack of sufficient number of registered nurses during the night shifts.