Specific Factors Influencing Patient Satisfaction in Swiss Ophthalmology Private Practice

Over the last decades, robust evidence linking patient satisfaction to hospital reputation and profitability has accrued, and patient satisfaction has now become a key focus in the healthcare industry. A review of the literature identified pre-established factors that were shown to influence patient satisfaction in different settings and could be categorized as patient-related factors, personnel-related factors and external factors. A specific questionnaire was designed, including items from previously validated questionnaires with the addition of questions covering each of the factors identified in the literature review. This resulted in a 66-item patient experience questionnaire that all patients attending two large private ophthalmology clinics in Switzerland were offered to take on a voluntarily basis. In all, 132 surveys were completed and analysed, resulting in four major findings: (1) patients in Switzerland were highly satisfied with their private eyecare provider, (2) demographics and cultural backgrounds only had a weak effect on overall patient satisfaction in this setting, but (3) patients’ nationalities significantly affected the aspect of their healthcare experience they valued most. Finally, satisfaction in every subgroup of patients was shaped by a different ensemble of factors of varying importance (4).