BACKGROUND: Hospitals in Norway are undergoing changes in structure and organisation. Patient experience has been selected as a national indicator of hospital quality. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between hospital size and patient experience. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A patient experience questionnaire was sent to a representative sample of patients after discharge from 46 somatic hospitals, which were classified by function and by annual number of patients admitted. RESULTS: 10,975 patients (50%) responded. Generally, the patients expressed a positive attitude towards their hospitals. The patient experience was significantly more positive among those discharged from small hospitals than among those discharged from medium-sized or large hospitals, especially with regard to organisation. INTERPRETATION: Our study shows that patient experience was significantly more positive among those discharged from small hospitals than from medium-sized or large hospitals, especially with regard to organisation. However, the score differences between hospitals are small and should be interpreted with caution.
BACKGROUND: Hospitals in Norway are undergoing changes in structure and organisation. Patient experience has been selected as a national indicator of hospital quality. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between hospital size and patient experience. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A patient experience questionnaire was sent to a representative sample of patients after discharge from 46 somatic hospitals, which were classified by function and by annual number of patients admitted. RESULTS: 10,975 patients (50%) responded. Generally, the patients expressed a positive attitude towards their hospitals. The patient experience was significantly more positive among those discharged from small hospitals than among those discharged from medium-sized or large hospitals, especially with regard to organisation. INTERPRETATION: Our study shows that patient experience was significantly more positive among those discharged from small hospitals than from medium-sized or large hospitals, especially with regard to organisation. However, the score differences between hospitals are small and should be interpreted with caution.