The Medical Freedom Channel

“While most patients generally are satisfied with their care, many hospitals fall short in relatively low-tech areas such as pain control and communication, researchers report today. The authors analyzed data collected by the federal government in an ongoing survey of patients at all hospitals that get Medicare payments. Responses covered communication with doctors; with nurses and about medications; and quality of nursing services, discharge information and pain management. ‘These data really represent a sea change,’ says lead author Ashish Jha, assistant professor of health policy at the Harvard School of Public Health. ‘We’ve been talking about (healthcare) quality for 20 years, but patients’ experiences have not been part of the discussion.’ Overall, 63 percent of respondents rated care a 9 or 10 on a scale of zero to 10, the authors write in the New England Journal of Medicine, while 26 percent rated it a 7 or 8.” (10/30/08)