Patients' satisfaction for hospital care among the Italian Regions between 1997 and 2009

Systems that assess enterprise-wide, regional or local quality of care from the perspective of the patient can more effectively bridge the gap between care provided and care should be provided. The National Health Plan 2006-2008 sets the centrality of the patient as a fundamental element of clinical governance: the patient's perspective is, in fact, a central element in the evaluation and continuous improvement of quality of care and involves aspects of "core "the process of care, such as satisfaction, communication, transparency, sharing and mutual accountability on treatment decisions, pain management, as well as the dignity and respect for individuals. At present, they are not yet adequately developed national monitoring systems, systematic and continuous quality dimensions refer the patient's perspective. Here, therefore, the results of the analysis from the historical information gathered from more than 10 years (from 1997 to 2008) in annual ISTAT Multipurpose Survey on "Aspects of daily life" referring to people hospitalized in the previous 3 months the interview, to assess three aspects of satisfaction with the hospital: medical care, nursing care and meals.