[User satisfaction assessment: theoretical and conceptual concerns].

The present article develops a critical analysis of the scientific output on user satisfaction in health services, focusing specifically on theoretical and conceptual aspects. The article discusses the understanding of satisfaction as a concept and its theoretical references and determinants and application of the concept to the field of services. A total of 56 articles were analyzed, published mainly in periodicals indexed in MEDLINE and Web of Science from 1970 to 2005. The concepts identified in this literature review come mainly from marketing and social psychology, emphasizing the theory of attitude, fulfillment of expectations or needs, and equity. There is a loss of analytical usefulness in the concept of satisfaction insofar as it is extended to various dimensions of health services.