Medida de la importancia de las dimensiones de la satisfacción en la provisión de servicios de salud / Measurement of the importance of user satisfaction dimensions in healthcare provision

Objetivo: La necesidad de conocer la percepción de la calidad asistencial recibida por los ciudadanos es clave para abordar con éxito mejoras en la prestación de los servicios de salud. El principal objetivo de este trabajo es presentar la aplicación de una metodología que permita identificar aspectos que facilitan la identificación de áreas de mejora. Método: Aplicación de un cuestionario a tres líneas de servicio en Cataluña (atención primaria [n=332], atención especializada ambulatoria [n=410] y urgencias hospitalarias [n=413]) para medir la satisfacción de los usuarios y evaluar la importancia otorgada a los aspectos analizados. Resultados: El análisis de valoración-importancia permite señalar que los principales aspectos a mejorar en atención primaria son los que se refieren al tiempo que el profesional dedica a sus pacientes, así como su predisposición para escuchar sus opiniones. En urgencias hospitalarias, el principal aspecto de mejora se refiere a las condiciones físicas del establecimiento. Conclusiones: Las herramientas diseñadas e implementadas por el Servicio Catalán de la Salud han demostrado ser instrumentos válidos para detectar los temas de actuación prioritarios para la mejora de la prestación de servicios y para fomentar la equidad territorial (AU)

Objective: Identifying users' perceptions of the quality of care is essential to improve health services delivery. The main objective of this article was to describe the application of a methodology to identify factors that facilitate the identification of areas for improvement. Method: A questionnaire was applied in three health areas in Catalonia (Spain) (primary care [n=332], outpatient specialty care [n=410] and hospital emergency care [n=413]) to measure user satisfaction and assess the importance given to the aspects analyzed. Results: The main areas for improvement in primary care identified by an importance-performance analysis involved the time devoted to patients as well as health professionals' willingness to listen to their views. In hospital emergency care, the main area of improvement was related to the hospital's physical conditions. Conclusions: The tools designed and implemented by the Catalan Health Service (Spain) have proved to be valid for the detection of priority areas to improve service delivery and promote regional equit (AU)

[Measurement of the importance of user satisfaction dimensions in healthcare provision]. / Medida de la importancia de las dimensiones de la satisfacción en la provisión de servicios de salud.

OBJECTIVE: Identifying users' perceptions of the quality of care is essential to improve health services delivery. The main objective of this article was to describe the application of a methodology to identify factors that facilitate the identification of areas for improvement. METHOD: A questionnaire was applied in three health areas in Catalonia (Spain) (primary care [n=332], outpatient specialty care [n=410] and hospital emergency care [n=413]) to measure user satisfaction and assess the importance given to the aspects analyzed. RESULTS: The main areas for improvement in primary care identified by an importance-performance analysis involved the time devoted to patients as well as health professionals' willingness to listen to their views. In hospital emergency care, the main area of improvement was related to the hospital's physical conditions. CONCLUSIONS: The tools designed and implemented by the Catalan Health Service (Spain) have proved to be valid for the detection of priority areas to improve service delivery and promote regional equity.

Case-control analysis of the financial cost of medication errors in hospitalized patients.

The cost of medication errors (MEs), and by extension their impact on the running of hospitals, is generally unknown to hospital managers. This study estimated the financial costs involved in the additional use of hospital resources as a result of MEs. For this we used a database covering 20,014 hospital admissions, with clinical and personal information about each patient, the costs related to his/her stay, and physicians' prescriptions. Analyses were carried out using cases and control techniques to calculate the additional cost of MEs. During the study period, 2001, the analysis indicated that the MEs analyzed caused an additional 303 days of hospital stay, with an overall annual cost of nearly 6,000 euros. Our study confirms that MEs are a costly reality. The presence of MEs doubled the cost per patient.