Patient satisfaction with inpatient care provided by the Sydney Gynecological Oncology Group

PURPOSE Patient satisfaction with the provision of hospital oncology services can have a significant impact on their overall treatment experience. AIMS To assess patient satisfaction with the inpatient hospital services in the gynecological oncology setting using the IN-PATSAT32 questionnaire developed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). METHODS A modified version of the IN-PATSAT32 questionnaire with additional 16 items was administered to 52 adult surgical inpatients admitted with the Sydney Gynecological Oncology Group. All participants were provided with an information leaflet regarding the survey and written consent obtained. RESULTS A high response rate (100%) from patients with varied social, ethnic, and educational backgrounds confirmed the acceptability of the survey. Standard of medical care provided, frequency of doctors' visits, exchange of information with doctors, friendliness of the staff, and state of the room ranked highly (>95%) on the patient satisfaction scales. Problems were identified with ease of access to and within the hospital, quality of food, and exchange of information with other hospital staff. CONCLUSIONS Overall the satisfaction with inpatient care was rated very highly in most areas. Deficiencies in certain elements of provision of medical care to the patients were identified and steps have been taken to improve upon these shortcomings.