Using patient satisfaction as an outcome measure is only appropriate after careful vetting of data-gathering measures, according to a new study from the journal Anesthesiology.
The meta-analysis considered approximately 3,000 anesthesiology studies using patient satisfaction as an outcome metric. The researchers determined that just one percent of the satisfaction surveys were constructed in a way that provided valuable, unbiased information.
The 34 studies that passed researchers' tests examined patient satisfaction from several different angles and found ways to translate subjective data into objective measures, utilizing a mixed approach between subjective and objective data collection, according to the study.
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