Patients often do not feel taken seriously

Survey: Doctors in hospitals often do not take patients seriously for criticism or suggestions

09/05/2012

Many patients do not feel taken seriously by their attending physicians in clinics. Criticism or demands usually comes on the part of the doctors on deaf ears. This was the result of a recent survey by the polling institute Forsa.

According to the survey, every fifth patient (18 percent) turns to his doctor during his stay at the hospital because he is dissatisfied with the therapies that have been taken so far. However, only 38 percent of patients feel that their clinic takes their suggestions or inquiries seriously. Men complain more frequently (21 percent) than women (15 percent). This is the result of a recent representative survey commissioned by Schön Klinik in Prien. The study involved a total of 500 people between the ages of 40 and 70 who had been hospitalized for the past five years.

Those looking for a conversation with the doctor were 60 percent dissatisfied with how the doctors dealt with the criticism. In younger patients (40 to 50 years), only 28 percent were satisfied with how the hospital responded to their concerns.

For 72 percent of respondents it is „very important“, that her clinic over „in-depth experience“ with her illness. „Friendly rooms“ (25 percent) or „modern medical technology“ (47 percent), however, are called rarer. Thus, quality aspects play a major role in the choice of clinic for three quarters of respondents. Patients get information about the quality of a hospital from their doctor (76 percent), in personal conversations (66 percent) and recently also on the Internet (54 percent).

„Criticism is good for a hospital. Only in this way can we learn what is important to our patients and can further improve the treatment“, commented Mani Rafii, Managing Director of Schön Klinik the results. (Sb)

Image: Stihl024