Patient satisfaction with the services of a pediatric digestive tract endoscopy unit: validation and application of a questionnaire.

Global satisfaction is the result of satisfaction with sequential connected caregiving activities administered according to current quality standards. We assessed patients' satisfaction with diagnostic digestive endoscopy via a questionnaire, asking for the state of information, organizational issues, anxiety, pain and discomfort, and medication side effects. A total of 157 patients completed the questionnaire before and after the procedure, and the endoscopy nurse filled it during the procedure. Despite a high rate of global satisfaction, the questionnaire disclosed several items to improve: Patient information on medication intake before digestive endoscopy was insufficient. Patients would have appreciated more detailed description on the type of sedation during the procedure. While the amnesic effect of our sedation was good, the analgesic effect was less optimal. These results suggest that the questionnaire is a valid tool to assess both patients' satisfaction and quality of care in a pediatric endoscopy unit and that patient satisfaction does not necessarily reflect quality of care.