Measuring Patient Experience and Patient Satisfaction-How Are We Doing It and Why Does It Matter? A Comparison of European and U.S. American Approaches

Anna Lena Friedel; Sonja Siegel; Cedric Fabian Kirstein; Monja Gerigk; Ulrike Bingel; Anke Diehl; Oliver Steidle; Steffen Haupeltshofer; Bernhard Andermahr; Witold Chmielewski; Ilonka Kreitschmann-Andermahr

doi:10.3390/healthcare11060797

Measuring Patient Experience and Patient Satisfaction-How Are We Doing It and Why Does It Matter? A Comparison of European and U.S. American Approaches

Healthcare (Basel). 2023 Mar 8;11(6):797. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11060797.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosurgery and Spine Surgery, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioural Sciences, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147 Essen, Germany.
² Institute for Medical Education, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioural Sciences, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147 Essen, Germany.
³ Institute for Patient Experience, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hohlweg 8, 45147 Essen, Germany.
⁴ Department of Neurology, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioural Sciences, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147 Essen, Germany.
⁵ Digital Transformation Unit, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147 Essen, Germany.
⁶ Clinical Quality and Risk Management, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147 Essen, Germany.

Abstract

(1) Background: Patients' experiences and satisfaction with their treatment are becoming increasingly important in the context of quality assurance, but the measurement of these parameters is accompanied by several disadvantages such as poor cross-country comparability and methodological problems. The aim of this review is to describe and summarize the process of measuring, publishing, and utilizing patient experience and satisfaction data in countries with highly developed healthcare systems in Europe (Germany, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the United Kingdom) and the USA to identify possible approaches for improvement. (2) Methods: Articles published between 2000 and 2021 that address the topics described were identified. Furthermore, patient feedback in social media and the influence of sociodemographic and hospital characteristics on patient satisfaction and experience were evaluated. (3) Results: The literature reveals that all countries perform well in collecting patient satisfaction and experience data and making them publicly available. However, due to the use of various different questionnaires, comparability of the results is difficult, and consequences drawn from these data remain largely unclear. (4) Conclusions: Surveying patient experience and satisfaction with more unified as well as regularly updated questionnaires would be helpful to eliminate some of the described problems. Additionally, social media platforms must be considered as an increasingly important source to expand the range of patient feedback.

Keywords: Germany; Scandinavia; UK; USA; hospital characteristics; patient experience; patient satisfaction; social media; sociodemographic characteristics; survey.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This manuscript received no external funding.