Mothers' satisfaction Rate of Hospital Cares in the Pediatric Ward at Sadoqi Hospital of Yazd (2004)

Introduction: Satisfaction evaluation is a good way to assess hospital conditions and try to upgrade hospital care. In Health Care System, parents considered as children's main supporters, thus they may act as the patient's viewpoints' representatives. Assessment on patients' satisfaction can, and must, improve the care quality, yet it presents essential information appropriately used for improving the management planning and recognition of staffs' functions. The main objective of this study was to determine the mothers' satisfaction from the hospital care for their children hospitalized in the pediatric ward.

Materials & Methods: A Cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was performed on 200 mothers at Shahid Sadoqi Hospital through simple sampling. They filled out standard questionnaires PFSQ (Pediatric Family Satisfaction Questionnaire) before being discharged from Hospital.

Results: Our findings revealed the mothers' Mean age to be 29.4±7.3, and the satisfaction of 45-56- year-old mothers was more than the other age groups. Also, the research showed: the higher mothers' education the less their satisfaction, but not significantly (P=0.098). Factors, like mothers' age (Mean=29.4±7.3, P=0.174) and length of the hospitalization (Mean=4.05±3.4) showed no substantial difference (P=0.149). Generally, 85.5% of mothers evaluated the hospital care relatively good.

The main points, regarding medical care, evaluated weakly, in order of importance included as follows: to inform parents about the tests results and the medical managements (9%), regarding nursing care: to aware  parents about medical care and post-charge care (10.5%) and then in regard to welfare services: availability of playing conditions for children in the ward (56.5%).

Overall mean score for welfare, nursing and medical care were 32.01±4.58, 47.32±7.43 and 38.36±6.13 respectively.

Conclusion: To satisfy mothers and to improve medical care for children, it is widely recommended  to bring about the means of conditions for medical staff and parents to have a close, open and effective relation in the pediatric ward, we need a place for playing, and indeed it is necessary to spend some time for explaining the treatment procedures to parents.