It's difficult to keep up with generational labels these days --
baby boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, etc. But regardless of
what they're called, generation designations have one thing in
common: they assume that people in different age groups have
certain characteristic values, perceptions, and expectations that
set them apart from those who came before and after. Does this
assumption hold true when looking at hospital patient satisfaction
scores, especially among the oldest and youngest patients?
A recent analysis of Gallup's 2003 patient satisfaction database
shows that overall, satisfaction with hospital inpatient services
differs by age group (see "Do Patient Expectations Mellow With
Age?" in Related Items). A closer look at satisfaction with
specific inpatient attributes among the youngest adults -- 18- to
25-year-olds -- and the oldest adults -- those aged 65 and older --
turns up some particularly interesting differences.
Inpatient Scores on Core Items: Seniors vs. Young
Adults
The 20 core attributes that Gallup measures for its inpatient
satisfaction database can be divided into two categories: "process"
items and "people" items. "Process" items encompass patients' basic
operational expectations. Patients expect these needs to be met,
and failure to meet them leads to dissatisfaction. "People" items
measure the interaction between patients and staff members. These
items tend to address factors above and beyond basic expectations,
and high scores on these items tend to push patients from satisfied
to delighted.
There is little difference between young adults (patients
between the ages of 18 and 25) and seniors (patients aged 65 and
older) on the people items. But the two groups do differ
significantly on the process items. Seniors tend to rate process
items more positively than young adults do.
The items on which seniors score highest in comparison to young
adults have to do with the hospital's core operations -- laboratory
services, radiology, and assistance in discharge planning. Seniors
also give higher ratings to the starting and ending points of the
inpatient process -- admitting and discharge.
So why do seniors rate these process items more positively than
young adults? As we've seen in prior analyses, seniors may be more
tolerant of process glitches. They have lived in a world before
high-speed computers and automation, when things moved at a slower
pace. Conversely, young adults grew up during the information age
and probably can't remember a time before computers. They expect
hospital processes to be seamless and automated and may have less
patience when things don't go as planned.
But there is one process item -- cleanliness -- on which young
adults give higher scores than seniors. While young adults expect
high-tech processes, seniors may have higher standards for basics
like a clean and orderly environment.
Bottom Line
Surprisingly, the difference in inpatient satisfaction between
seniors and young adults is not about people; it's about process.
Hospitals seeking to improve satisfaction among younger patients
should consider upgrading technology and systems that affect
patients in the laboratory, X-ray, admitting, and discharge areas.
Those looking to improve among seniors may need to focus more on
the fundamentals, concentrating on issues such as hospital
cleanliness.
