Measurement of Patient Satisfaction in International Surgical Missions Using the United States Hcaps Survey

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to document patient satisfaction in foreign countries served by plastic surgery teams from the United States.

There is little data documenting whether patients are in fact satisfied with their surgical results.The HCAHPS Survey is an 18 question, national survey of patients' perspectives of hospital care included in The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act specifically used for hospital reimbursements. This survey was used to assess satisfaction scores of patients treated by volunteers and plastic surgeons from the United States.

Materials and Methods:

The HCAPS survey was administered to patients in 2012 served by Surgicorps in the following countries -Guatemala, Bhutan, Ethiopia and Vietnam. The surveys were conducted by indigenous interpreters and completed by parents for patients under the age of 18 years. All surgeries were performed by surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Results:

A total of 98 patients were eligible with all but one agreed to participate. The age range was 3 months to 62 years with the average 20 years and median 17 years. 53% were male and 47% female. Surgeries performed were categorized under the following types: craniofacial, hand, burn, and general reconstruction. The results demonstrated high satisfaction scores. Patient satisfaction was 100% for surgical results and exceeded 90% in the other satisfaction questions.

Conclusion:

The HCAPS survey is an essential factor in today’s health care landscape. To date, there is no data assessing patient satisfaction in foreign countries served by plastic surgeons from the United States. Our results indicate that patients were pleased with their care and results.

There are limitations to this study. The sample size is relatively small and there may have been a language misinterpretation despite using native speakers. In contrast to the survey being mailed to patients in the US, this data was obtained directly from the patient at the time of discharge. This may have influenced scores if patients felt pressure to respond positively, especially so soon after surgery.

The authors feel that more data is needed to determine patient satisfaction using foreign volunteer surgical teams.