Patients' Complaints Handling in Hospitals
Author Information
Author(s): Friele Roland D, Sluijs Emmy M, Legemaate Johan
Primary Institution: NIVEL, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research
Hypothesis
Patient satisfaction with complaints handling is based on the extent to which their expectations regarding the conduct of the committee, the hospital, and the professional are met.
Conclusion
Less than one third of the patients felt that justice had been done through the complaints handling process.
Supporting Evidence
- Only 31% of patients felt they had received justice from the complaints process.
- Two thirds of patients were satisfied with the conduct of the complaints committee.
- Large discrepancies between expectations and experiences were found in cases where doctors did not admit errors.
Takeaway
Many patients are unhappy with how their complaints are handled in hospitals because their expectations are not met.
Methodology
Patients completed two questionnaires about their expectations and experiences regarding the complaints handling process.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the self-reported nature of the data and the lack of follow-up with non-respondents.
Limitations
The response rate at follow-up was 52%, and the study did not include perspectives from the committee, hospital, or doctor.
Participant Demographics
65% female, mean age 52 years, 43% with higher professional or university education.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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