Social science & medicine
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Social science & medicine · Dec 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe continuum of patient satisfaction--from satisfied to very satisfied.
In a move towards a more informed understanding of the concept of satisfaction, this paper aims to explore how 30 dermatology patients describe what it meant to them to be either satisfied or very satisfied with their healthcare. This was undertaken using in-depth interviews and the findings suggest that participants clearly differentiated between being satisfied or very satisfied with healthcare. ⋯ This observation of a 'continuum of satisfaction' has specific and important implications for the future analysis and presentation of patient satisfaction surveys. It is suggested that attention to the differences between the two constructs provides a useful means to highlighting areas of patient concern and that researchers reporting the results of patient satisfaction surveys should cease to collapse them.