Levels of satisfaction and perceived quality in a day surgery unit of a tertiary referral hospital

INTRODUCTION: Surgical and anesthetic advances have allowed an adequate develop at the day surgery programs, with a rational application and cost-effectiveness of the hospital resorts. The aim of this study, is to know the level of quality perceived in surgical treatment in a program of day surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A randomised selection of 204 patients from a series of 751 operated, between April-May 2001 in a day-surgery institution, was done. Phone questionnaire was done following protocol SERCAL (sociodemographic factors and general satisfaction, accessibility, personal assistance, guarantee and fidelity service) with validation for day surgery programs. Absolute and relatives frequencies were evaluated for dichotomous and categoric variables and medium and standard deviation for numeric variables. Possible differences were evaluated by chi2 test in qualitative variables and Student's t and ANOVA test for quantitative variables. RESULTS: Response index was 70.1%. Satisfaction general index was 9.1%, for 18 numeric items (range 0-10). Social and demographic items show that the best validity of treatment were by elderly, women, retired and low cultural patients. Data reduction by factorial analysis showed 4 factors with incidence (total variance 71.62%): Scientific-technical guarantee service and adequate personal treatment (Cronbach's alpha 0.9060), comfortable and security assistance (Cronbach's alpha 0.8708), accessibility to hospital and professionals (Cronbach's alpha 0.0652), accessibility to surgical service. CONCLUSIONS: General satisfaction of the patients treated in the day-surgery program was high, 9.1 (range 0-10). 88.8% patients would recommend this type of treatment to their parents or friends and in 84.3% would repeat the same experience in the surgery unit. The best appreciate items were the direct treatment and relation, respect, intimacy and information along the assistential circuit by implicated professionals. The worst identified item was the time past in waiting surgical list.