Time does not heal all wounds. Patients report lower satisfaction levels as time goes by.

Tracking patient satisfaction over time is an effective way to learn about patient perceptions and can also help draw attention to service areas that need improvement. This research compared patient satisfaction levels immediately following hospital discharge and then again two years later. Both overall satisfaction and satisfaction with particular attributes tended to decrease over time. These findings raise questions about the long-term stability of satisfaction ratings and have implications for the timing of satisfaction surveys.