Patients' and families' opinions via suggestion boxes for improving hospital care for cancer patients: Analysis of 3419 cases over 11 years

BACKGROUND: There has been a paradigm shift in cancer treatment from curing disease to both curing disease and caring for patients. In terms of care for patients, the opinions of patients and their families are important for improving medical services. AIM: The opinions of patients and families were collected at Shizuoka Cancer Center (SCC) and examined from the standpoint of characteristics, response status, and temporal changes. METHODS: Patients' and families' opinions submitted to suggestion boxes at SCC over an 11‐year period (2005–2015) were analyzed. Opinions were categorized as complaints or compliments, with sub‐categories including “facilities, goods, and medical care,” “people,” “time,” and “other.” The status of facilities' response to complaints was categorized as “responded,” “did not respond”, and “difficult to respond”. RESULTS: Changes in the number of opinions and content over time were examined. In total, 3419 opinions were collected; 69.1% were complaints, and 30.5% were compliments. Of the complaints, 53.4% were related to “facilities, goods, and medical care” (mainly focusing on “poor product quality” and “shortage of goods”), 38.7% were related to “people,” and 7.7% to “time.” Of the compliments, 82.4% were about “people,” all of which concerned facility staff. Facilities' responses to complaints were as follows: “responded” (42.4%), “did not respond” (14.3%), and “difficult to respond” (43.3%). CONCLUSION: Understanding patients' and families' opinions is effective for strengthening trust between patients and healthcare professionals, promoting holistic care.