Abstract
Introduction: Our study quantitatively measures patient perception of quality and satisfaction in a PET-CT center at the point of care using a psychometrically validated questionnaire, SERVPERF, to guide subsequent quality improvement interventions. SERVPERF is a survey instrument that captures service quality by measuring performance of various services. It has demonstrated reliability and validity across various industries including healthcare, banking, transportation, telecommunication and higher education. The standard for measuring patient perception of quality in hospitals, the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey does not include questions sensitive to the care received in a typical radiology department and is not obtained at the point of care. Methods: 429 patients receiving PET-CT examinations filled out an anonymous modified SERVPERF questionnaire upon completion of imaging and reported level of agreement with each of the 27 items by circling a Likert type scale from 1 – 7. Each of the items was designed to elicit response regarding patient perception of performance on a metric of quality. Data were summarized as mean of each item. Frequency of low scores (1 -3) was also calculated. Results: The items with the lowest mean score were “The department’s physical facilities are visually appealing” (6.158) and “Documentation such as sign-in sheet, handouts and brochure as visually appealing” (6.161). The item with the highest frequency of low scores (1-3) was, “The department provides services at the promised time” (11/429 responses). Conclusion: Our study showed that patient perception of quality in a diagnostic radiology department can be measured with a standardized survey at the point of care delivery and used to direct patient centered quality improvement interventions.
