Background: Patients' satisfaction reporting is important for assessing the quality of care in surgical practice. Post-discharge questionnaire reporting is considered best practice; however, the logistics of this method remains problematic.
Aims: To examine patient satisfaction response rates prior to and following discharge from the hospital in a general surgery department.
Methods: Two patient groups were examined: group 1-questionnaires were completed by patients prior to discharge; and group 2-questionnaires were posted to patients following discharge and were advised to return the questionnaire in a given time frame. The questionnaire design was based on the WHO strategy on measuring responsiveness guidelines tailored to a population of surgical patients.
Results: Four hundred and fifty patients were examined [group 1 (N = 150); group 2 (N = 300)]). Results from pre- and post-discharge questionnaires were similar in almost all parameters. The response rate dropped significantly in group 2, and the cost was also significantly higher.
Conclusions: There were no significant differences in reporting between pre- and post-discharge questionnaire responses. As pre-discharge reporting is more efficient, less costly and has a higher response rate, this should be considered the preferred practice in patient satisfaction assessments.
Keywords: General surgery; Patient safety; Patient satisfaction.