Patient satisfaction : a visual analysis using Trellis Graphics

Abstract

During times of peace, health care is one of the foremost quality of life issues to active duty members, their families and retirees. Patient satisfaction surveys are used to determine how patients perceive salient aspects of their medical care. There has been substantial anecdotal evidence to suggest that patients are unhappy with their care, but past analysis of the DoD Annual Surveys using simple frequencies of responses indicated that, overall, patients were satisfied. This thesis, using a powerful new technique called Trellis Graphics that allows more than three variables to be visualized simultaneously, has uncovered startling results that go beyond previous analysis, provide evidence to support the anecdotal claims, and show that overall satisfaction is not a reliable measurement for determining patient satisfaction. The seven factors defined by the National Committee on Quality Assurance are each individually, and together as a group, more reliable measures. The inability to choose a provider was clearly rated by every beneficiary group as the single greatest source of dissatisfaction. There are also differences in satisfaction between the sexes, and among the different groups. Active duty members, who are the primary customers of military treatment facilities, are the most dissatisfied, and women tend to be less happy than men