Beschwerdemanagement im krankenhaus als ausdruck von patientenorientierung?

Aim: To reassess which relevance complaint management of German hospitals does have for the general patient satisfaction and if it is patient-oriented implemented. Method: Data from patient surveys carried out by the Picker Institut Deutschland in 2005 were utilised. 63533 cases from 140 German hospitals were analysed. Outcomes: Complaint- and articulation-rate, complaint satisfaction, reasons for defaulted complaints, patient satisfaction. Results: The correlation of complaint satisfaction and patient satisfaction (r _s = 0.33, n = 7991, p < 0,001) indicates the relevance of complaint management for the organisation's patient orientation. But patient-oriented implementation of complaint management is carried out insufficiently (only 24.6% satisfied complainants), while the activation of patients to complain about perceived deficiencies is managed more successfully (articulation rate 47.1%). Fear and lack of information are important reasons for defaulted complaints. Elderly, compulsory health-insured patients with lower education tend towards lower articulation-rates. Conclusion: The results show that there is need for further patient-oriented development and improvement. Some hospitals may have a function as "best practice hospital".