ABSTRACT
Patient satisfaction is an important indicator of the quality of care in a hospital. A hospital manager’s foremost concern is to see that the clients are fully satisfied when they leave the hospital. Many patients who face inconveniences in the hospital avoid lodging a complaint. As a result, many shortcomings in the hospital services go unnoticed by the management. This chapter discusses common issues that cause dissatisfaction among patients, and explores ways of addressing them. Patient satisfaction can be enhanced by fulfilling their expectations. Patient satisfaction can be assessed through the following methods: complaint tracking; exit interviews; telephone surveys; and input from staff members. Complaints from patients or results of patient satisfaction surveys that provide evidence of a staff member’s lower performance can be shared with them. An individual is likely to feel disturbed upon learning that his performance is below that of his colleagues based on well-defined criteria.
