Patient satisfaction surveys and care quality: a continuum conundrum

In recent years reporting patient satisfaction has become an important feature of the healthcare landscape. In countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia, measures of patient satisfaction are increasingly being employed as drivers of quality and accountability. Patient satisfaction has also been tied to value-based purchasing as part of a suite of strategies seeking to drive improved performance and efficiency. In a number of countries investigations into largescale care failures have also reported failure to listen to patients as a key factor in these failures (Garling 2008, Thome 2009), leading to refocused efforts to improve patient satisfaction.