Evaluation of family members' satisfaction in pediatric emergencies

Objective: To determine the level of satisfaction of families of the pediatric department hospital emergency services; to identify the key service performance factors that could influence their final satisfaction and to find best practices from a review of experiences evaluated. Methodology: A descriptive retrospective study was carried out. Family members who accompanied a child during his stay in the hospital emergency service were included in the study. The sample was defined using a random systematic methodology with telephone surveys as the main tool. The statistical methods used were standard deviation for categorical variables and the analysis of the variance for the continuous variables. The SPSS 16.0 programme was used as the main tool for evaluating the results. Results: A total of 120 surveys were made with 96 responses obtained. The demographic profile of the main companion of the child was a woman, married, active worker with medium/university education. In 100% of the cases the main companion was a direct member of the family, and 85% of cases it was the child's mother. The pathology was considered mild in 65% of cases, with 86% of them being being resolved. There was very little difference between the actual time and the perceived time. From the information obtained, a high level of general satisfaction was perceived, with a positive assessment (in 76% of the cases), on the way the were treated by hospital staff. The areas for improvement were those associated with the identification of the health staff and facilities. Conclusion: As a general assessment of the study it was shown that the main factors of satisfaction for the family members were those related to being able to accompany the child, and the kindness and the respect. (C) 2009 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.