Understanding the determinants of patient satisfaction with surgical care using the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems surgical care survey (S-CAHPS)

Abstract

Background Patient satisfaction has been increasingly emphasized, including the use of financial penalties for underperformance. However current measures of patient satisfaction do not address aspects specific to the care of surgical patients. We therefore aimed to examine the recently validated Surgical Care Survey (S-CAHPS) in order to determine which aspects of perioperative care are predictive of satisfaction with the surgeon. Methods All patients undergoing a general surgery operation at our institution over a 5 month period were sent a modified S-CAHPS within 3 days of discharge. Patients were then divided into two groups: those that rated their surgeon as the best possible and those giving a lower rating. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine predictors of satisfaction with surgical care. S-CAHPS results were then compared with other satisfaction measures in a subset of patients. Results The response rate was 45.3% (456/1007). The average age was 59±16 years, length of stay was 4.1±6.6 days, and 23% had unscheduled operations. 72% of patients rated their surgeon as the best surgeon possible. On multivariate analysis, preoperative communication and attentiveness on the day of surgery were the most important determinants of overall surgeon rating. S-CAHPS scores correlated with other standard measures of satisfaction (HCAHPS scores). Conclusions S-CAHPS is a novel surgical satisfaction tool and is feasible to administer to patients undergoing general surgical procedures. Surgeon characteristics most predictive of high patient satisfaction are effective preoperative communication and attentiveness on the day of surgery.

Communication Skills of Resident Physicians in Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia

“…For pediatric trainees, there is inherent complexity around effective communication with patients and families (21). Communication skills' training for medical students has gained more focus recently (22), particularly in surgical specialties such as Obstetrics and Gynecology (23) and General Surgery (24), which may have some role in our study ndings.…”

Nature’s wrath—The effect of weather on pain following orthopaedic trauma

“…We have found that the simple affirmation that weather continues to contribute to pain after fracture healing can greatly relieve patient stress and encourage patients to believe they are recovering appropriately rather than experiencing a poor outcome. Furthermore, as patient generated quality metrics such as the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey are increasingly tied to hospital ratings and reimbursement, adequate counseling is ever more important [37][38][39]. Schmocker et al found that communication was the surgeonrelated characteristic most predictive of high post-operative HCAHPS scores [39].…”

“…Furthermore, as patient generated quality metrics such as the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey are increasingly tied to hospital ratings and reimbursement, adequate counseling is ever more important [37][38][39]. Schmocker et al found that communication was the surgeonrelated characteristic most predictive of high post-operative HCAHPS scores [39]. Informing patients that they may experience variations in pain related to weather conditions one year or greater after orthopaedic trauma is an important aspect of physicianpatient communication.…”

Examining colorectal cancer survivors’ surveillance patterns and experiences of care: a SEER-CAHPS study

“…Quality ratings were categorized into ratings of 9 or 10, versus ratings below 9 for analyses, similar to previous analyses of CAHPS surveys [20,21]. We also performed a sensitivity analysis with different cutoffs including 10 versus 0-9, and 8-10 versus 0-7 [22].…”