Can the quality perceived by the surgical patients vary before and after the surgical intervention? An observational descriptive study

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggested how the patient satisfaction aspect is the most relevant indicator of quality of care and this aspect strongly influences the perception of the quality of the entire health system. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether there is a different perception of the patient’s quality in a hospital environment based on the time it was assessed.METHODS: The Questionnaire of Patient Satisfaction was administered to patients admitted to the general surgery department of the Di Venere hospital, Bari, Italy, from June 2020 to September 2020. All patients who agreed to participate in the study received QPS 24 hours before and 24 hours after surgery. A total of 55 patients were enrolled in this study.RESULTS: In all subsections considered in the PSQ patients showed a higher level of satisfaction in the after-surgery interview than before (P<0.05). The surgical procedure would play an important role in determining the perceived quality of patients.CONCLUSIONS: In order to get a quality assessment and satisfaction system from the patients’ point of view and to make it become a real tool for continuous improvement of the quality of the offer, it is essential that the opinions of clients are an integral part of a constant and systematic monitoring system, which allows to build indicators and develop methodologies capable of intercepting the signs of malfunctioning and identifying the margins for improvement.