Survey Satisfaction? A Look at Post-Endoscopy Satisfaction Scores

Abstract

Introduction: Patient satisfaction is an important outcome measure for both the patient and endoscopy unit. Poor experiences may lead to non-compliance with endoscopic screening and/or monitoring. Quality measures are instated to ensure oversight and evaluation of processes guaranteeing continued improvement. The purpose of this study is to organize the post-procedure satisfaction data into a useful reference as well as analyze various patient-centered parameters to find trends that might influence the overall outcome and lead to process improvements in order to optimize the patient experience. Methods: A database of two cohorts of outpatients that underwent endoscopic procedures at Georgetown University Hospital at two separate three-month intervals ranging from November 2012-January 2013 and November 2015-January 2016 was compiled. The variables recorded included age, sex, BMI, type of procedure, indication for procedure, time of the procedure, length of procedure, type of prep used, endoscopist, satisfactory score, and comments/reasons for score. For continuous and categorical variables, differences in averages were tested by two sample t-test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, ANOVA and Chisquare test as appropriate. Correlation test and linear regression analyses were also conducted to examine relationships between length of procedure and continuous predictors. Results: With the addition of post-procedure calls, instilled in January 2014, the response rate was 40.5% (508/1256 patients). Prior to the calls, the documented post procedure satisfaction survey completion rate was 3.4%. There was a statistically significant improved response rate pre and post intervention. Figure 1 shows the relationship between age and procedure length. As is shown by a positive slope in the graph, there is a statistically significant relationship, albeit small and with little clinical significance.Figure: Figure 1 is a FitPlot of the relationship between age and procedure length. As is shown by a positive slope in the graph, there is a statistically significant relationship, albeit small. Using linear regression analysis, the relationship between age and procedure length was confirmed (data not shown) and it can be concluded that for every year increase in age, there is a 0.06 minute (3.6 second) increase in length of procedure.Conclusion: Our study proves that calling patients after they undergo endoscopy can drastically improve post procedure satisfaction response rates. The secondary aim of this study was to identify independent variables that directly affect length of procedure which often a surrogate for patient satisfaction. There was a statistically significant correlation with an increase in procedure length with increasing age, but interestingly, no association with BMI. We can conclude based on our data that changing the scheduling or time allotted for procedures based on age or weight would not drastically change the flow in the endoscopy suite.Table: Table. Comparison of Response Rate between Pre and Post InterventionTable: Table. Examining Gender and Time of Procedure as Independent Predictors of Procedure Length