The Child's Voice in Satisfaction with Hospital Care.

Purpose: Patient satisfaction is a quality improvement indicator used to evaluate care. Ratings of patient satisfaction in pediatrics exclude the child voice. We tested the feasibility and acceptability of a new model that included both child and parent satisfaction ratings.

Design And Methods: We executed a randomized, two-arm, unblinded cohort study comparing child (aged 7-17 years) and parent reports (Arm 1) to parent report only (Arm 2) among a convenience sample of inpatients at a single urban pediatric medical center. The primary (feasibility and acceptability) and secondary outcomes were assessed at the time of discharge (T1) and approximately 10 days following discharge (T2) (standard timing).

Results: Of 672 screened families, 89.3% (n = 600) enrolled in the study; 362 children and parents were randomized to Arm 1 and 238 parents to Arm 2. Patients (98.6%) and parents (99.8%) indicated preference for providing satisfaction ratings at the time of discharge. Seventy-five percent of families (n = 488) completed T1 and T2; neither child nor parent ratings differed significantly between T1 and T2 nor did parent ratings differ between the two study arms. Nurse friendliness, courtesy, and feeling well cared for were among the highest rated items at T1 and T2 by both children and parents.

Conclusions: Children 7 to 17 years of age and their parents are willing and like to provide satisfaction with care ratings prior to hospital discharge.

Practice Implications: This measurement model could yield valid findings representative of hospitalized children and their parents, and could become the basis for a new and needed measurement approach for pediatric satisfaction with hospital care.