The Relationship Between Patient Satisfaction With Hospitalization and Outcomes Up to 6 Months Post-Discharge in Cardiac Patients

Little is known about the relationship between patient satisfaction with inpatient care and post-discharge outcomes. This study examined inpatient hospital satisfaction after a cardiac event and outcomes through 6 months post-discharge. We examined 327 cardiac patients from the Bridging the Discharge Gap Effectively database who completed a patient satisfaction survey about their hospital admission and had post-discharge outcomes data. Higher patient satisfaction with the discharge process correlated with fewer readmissions at 90 days post-discharge. Higher patient satisfaction with hospital staff management of personal issues correlated with fewer emergency department visits at 6 months post-discharge. Higher patient satisfaction with overall assessment of care and hospitalization correlated with lower mortality rate at 6 months post-discharge. Being nonwhite correlated with lower nursing care satisfaction. Associations between cardiac patient satisfaction and outcomes exist. In this population, higher patient satisfaction correlated with better outcomes. Patient satisfaction data may be able to inform areas for health system improvement.