Patient Satisfaction Surveys

Patient Satisfaction Surveys Policy Statement 

September 2010 

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) recognizes that patient satisfaction surveys that are methodologically and statistically sound can be a valid measure of the patient’s perception of health care value and that patient outcome can be related to perceived patient satisfaction. 

Patient satisfaction survey tools should be: 

• Standardized and validated for the average education level of those being surveyed. 
• Administered and tabulated as close to the date of service as possible. 
• A measure of the specific components of service received in the emergency department with discreet data   points. 
• Based on a statistically valid sample size free from selection bias. 
• Transparent in the administration and analysis methodologies. 
• Explicit in the intended purpose and use. 

Due to the difficulty in segregating whether patient satisfaction scores are a result of physician performance or due to demands and restrictions of the current health care system or other factors out of the control of the physician, patient satisfaction methods that have not been validated should not be used for purposes such as credentialing, contract renewal, and incentive bonus programs. 

ACEP recommends that the topic of patient satisfaction measurement be incorporated into the Model of the Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine.