RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: As a result of the Spanish healthcare system overhaul, quality of care is becoming increasingly important. All burn service providers are required to measure patient satisfaction with care as an imperative need. Nevertheless, there are very few papers regarding patient satisfaction in burn units or in plastic surgery in general. The aim of this study is to examine patient satisfaction in our burn unit and to identify areas for improvement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants were all patients admitted to the Burn Unit at the Getafe University Hospital (Madrid, Spain) between January 2014 and December 2016. Patient satisfaction was assessed using the SERVQHOS questionnaire and Kano methodology. The SERVQHOS questionnaire was given to all patients at the time of discharge with completion thereof voluntary and anonymous. The Kano model consisted of an in-depth personal interview with patients and their relatives to identify patient requirements. Further, we developed a Kano questionnaire and analysed the results to prioritise the requirements for development activities. RESULTS: A total of 164 SERVQHOS questionnaires were collected, which means 58% of the discharged patients who were asked to participate returned the questionnaire. Mean overall satisfaction score was 3.7 (range 1-4). Ninety-seven per cent of patients would not hesitate to recommend the hospital to others, 90% believed they had stayed in the hospital for the time necessary and 89% did not have any pain relief problems. The issues that were rated the worst by users were those related to objective quality such as room conditions, location directions, ease of discharge from the hospital and employee appearance. The best-valued aspects were those related to subjective quality such as willingness to help patients, ability to inspire trust and confidence, courtesy and personal attention. CONCLUSIONS: Patients hospitalised in our burn unit are highly satisfied with the care they receive, especially with regard to subjective quality. The evaluation of the satisfaction outcomes helped us to identify several strengths and weaknesses in the healthcare services we provide as well as strategies to improve the weaknesses. Evaluating care quality and patient satisfaction in any burn unit is appropriate and recommendable given that it offers clients' first-hand opinions.
