Harvard Study: US Hospitals lag in patient satisfaction.

U.S. Hospitals Lag in Patient Satisfaction10.28.08, 8:00 PM ET

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Patients in many U.S. hospitals are not satisfied with their care, Harvard researchers report.

In the first national survey of patients' experiences, many hospitals were found wanting in key areas such as pain management and discharge instructions. In fact, almost one-third of patients gave low ratings to pain management, and one-fifth gave low ratings to communication at discharge.

"These data represent a sea change for the health-care system," said study author Dr. Ashish K. Jha, an assistant professor for health policy at the Harvard School of Public Health. "Until now, we have had no high-quality information about how patients perceive the care they receive."
"Even though we spend $2 trillion on health care, you would think that things like always managing patients' pain in the hospital is something we would have gotten right by now," Jha said.

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