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Open research questions in Patient Satisfaction in Healthcare

72 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 1,223 Patient Satisfaction in Healthcare papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Additionally, the best time to conduct the questionnaire remains unclear, which could affect peo- ple’s decisions about whether or not to return for FFB.

    Determinants of patient satisfaction during flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy · 2026 · DOI

  • This study only covers perception and expectation of older adults con- sidering demand side, while the supply side could not be assessed due to the time and resource constraint. Another limitation of the research was that it was limited to a spe- cific geographical site in Bangladesh (Narsingdi and Narayanganj districts).

    Assessing the gap between perceived and expected healthcare needs of older adults in Bangladesh using the Kano Model · 2026 · DOI

  • The study participants were restricted to primary health care workers in one province of Türkiye, which may limit the generalisability of the findings. PHIC4PHC is based on self-reported competencies related to informatics rather than observed ones and so responses might be influenced by social desirability bias just as in the original. In our study, the psychometric properties of the scale were analyzed, but item discrimination parameters were not added. The reason for this situation is that this study focused primarily on classical analysis methods to test the validity and reliability of the scale. The preceding analysis, which was conducted in the original paper, while providing valuable insights into the properties of the scale along a four-dimensional space, our analysis is limited by its unidimensional focus. The addition of item discrimination parameters would allow us to examine the scale's discrimination power between different individuals in more detail and to measure its validity on an item basis more precisely. This is presented as a suggestion for future work. CONCLUSION Our study showed that the Turkish version of PHIC4PHC meets the validity, reliability, and precision criteria. It seems appropriate to measure the informatics competency of PHC workers. Further testing for different samples/professions is recommended. It is important to note that informatics competency is indispensable for public health professionals. Its ability to enhance data analysis, improve public health surveillance, and facilitate communication and collaboration makes it a critical asset in addressing public health challenges. As healthcare becomes increasingly digital, the need for informatics-savvy public health professionals will only continue to grow. By investing in informatics training and education, public health agencies can equip their workforce with the skills necessary to improve health outcomes, advance public health initiatives, and protect the health of communities. Investing in informatics training and education is therefore a crucial step towards building a healthcare workforce that is equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st century. This study used an instrument to measure the competency of informatics of PHC workers who work to improve the health and well-being of communities through various roles and specializations with the aim of validating in Turkish as a different language. We can define these p rofessionals a s epidemiologists, biostatisticians, health educators, environmental health scientists, and physicians and public health nurses, among others. It is also clear that an instrument measuring the informatics competency specific to primary healthcare professionals is needed in every country.

    Construct validity and reliability of the public health informatics competency scale for primary health care workers · 2026 · DOI

  • This study has several limitations that should be consid- ered when interpreting the findings. First, the research relied solely on the perspectives of hospital QMs, which may not fully capture the experiences or viewpoints of other stakeholders. Second, the phenomenological approach, while providing in-depth insights into QMs’ lived experiences, is inherently subjective and may be influenced by participants’ recall bias or personal inter- pretations of the individual appeals track. Third, while theoretical saturation was achieved, the sample size was modest, and representation across different hospital types was limited, so the findings should be interpreted with some caution when generalizing to all hospital con- texts. Finally, cultural and organizational factors specific to the local context may influence the applicability of these findings to other healthcare systems.

    From exception to insight: a phenomenological study of quality managers’ perspectives on the individual appeals in the National Healthcare Quality Program · 2026 · DOI

  • of interpersonal and technical aspects of hospital care. Int J Quality Health Care. 2003;15:345-55. satisfaction with a hospital: effects of 12. Phonthong District Public Health Office. Annual summary report 2024 and strategic plan 2025. Luang Prabang: Department of Planning and Coordination; 2024. 13. Edwards W, Barron FH. SMARTS and SMARTER: improved simple methods for multiattribute utility measurement. Organ Behav Hum Decis Process. 1994;60(3):306-325. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health | June 2026 | Vol 13 | Issue 6 Page 2648 Chaleunsay V et al. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2026 Jun;13(6):2642-2649 14. Mon KS. User satisfaction with public health services in Southeast Asia: a comparative analysis of rural and urban settings. Asia-Pac J Public Health. 2021;33(4):415-23. 15. Lao Ministry of Health. The 9th five-year health sector development plan and the "5 Goods 1 Satisfaction" policy review. Vientiane: Ministry of Health; 2024. 16. Millar J, Photakoun V. Livestock development and poverty alleviation: revolution or evolution for upland livelihoods in Lao PDR? Int J Agric Sustain. 2008;6(1):89-102. 17. World Health Organization. Regional Office for the Western Pacific. (2023). Progress towards universal health coverage in the Lao People's Democratic Republic: monitoring financial protection 2007- the 2019.

    User satisfaction and priorities for improvement in public health services in rural Laos: a study of Phonthong district residents · 2026 · DOI

  • It’s important to note that the sample characteristics such as gender (male domination in qualitative and female domination in quantitative data) educational level, and hospital level were not proportional. This may have had an impact on the results. Additionally, it’s important to consider that the nature of the study design did not allow for the establishment of cause-and-effect relationships. Perception of quality is measured by the same nurses who deliver the care, with evident risk of social desirability bias and the absence of burnout and psychological distress assessment as confounding variables.

    Nurses’ perception of nursing care quality and associated factors in Jimma Town public hospitals, 2023—A mixed study · 2026 · DOI

  • the on APPENDIX B: Evaluation metrics and fuzzy-génératif Where 𝑦̅ and 𝑦̂̅ denote the mean value of the patientrepoted scores, respectively This coefficient captures the extent to which variations in the fuzzy-generated scores align with variations in patientreported satisfaction, without implying any causal relationship. satisfaction This appendix summarizes the evaluation metrics used to assess the consistency between the satisfaction scores generated by the Patient Satisfaction Evaluation Agent (PSEA) and the satisfaction levels reported by patients. To maintain readability in the main body of the paper, only high-level descriptions of these metrics are provided there, while their formal definitions are presented in this appendix. B.4 Scope of interpretation The metrics reported in this appendix are intended to provide an empirical characterization of the coherence between the fuzzy satisfaction model and patient-reported evaluations. They are not used to claim predictive optimality or statistical generalization beyond the studied sample, but rather to support a validation of consistency within the proposed framework B.1 Mean absolute error (MAE) The Mean Absolute Error quantifies the average absolute difference between the fuzzy-generated satisfaction scores and the corresponding patient-reported values. It is computed as: 𝑁 1 𝑁 𝑀𝐴𝐸 = ∑|𝑦𝑖 − 𝑦̂𝑖| 𝑖=1 Where 𝑦𝑖 denotes the satisfaction score reported by patient 𝑖, 𝑦̂𝑖 represents the satisfaction score produced by the fuzzy inference system, and 𝑁 is the total number of evoluted observation. This metric provides a straightforward and interpretable measure of the typical deviation between estimated and reported satisfaction scores, expressed on the same scale as the original data. B.2 Root mean squared error (RMSE) The Root Mean Squared Error complements the MAE by assigning greater weight to larger deviations between predicted and reported satisfaction values. It is defined as: 𝑅𝑀𝑆𝐸 = √ 1 𝑁 𝑁 ∑(𝑦𝑖 − 𝑦̂𝑖 𝑖=1)² Because squared errors are averaged before taking the square root, RMSE is particularly sensitive to larger discrepancies, making it useful for identifying cases where the fuzzy model deviates more substantially from patientreported assessments. B.3 Pearson correlation coefficient In addition to error-based metrics, the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to examine the degree of linear association between fuzzy-generated satisfaction scores and patient-reported values.

    An Agent-Based Simulation Framework for Clinical Management Integrating Fuzzy Logic-Based Patient Satisfaction Evaluation · 2026 · DOI

  • Conclusion: Research on a sample of primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina showed that the knowledge and application of the quality management system is still insufficient and points to the need to raise awareness of the importance of the application of the quality management system.

    Quality Management as a Tool for Improving the Performance of Healthcare Organizations at Different Levels · 2025 · DOI

  • The main limitation of this study may include recall bias, as no timeframe was utilized to evaluate patients' responses based on the time they visited the healthcare institutions.

    Patients’ satisfaction with healthcare services in Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study · 2025 · DOI

  • Little is known about the job satisfaction of licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) participating in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) federal Loan Repayment Program (LRP).

    Overall Work and Practice Satisfaction of Licensed Clinical Social Workers in the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program · 2020 · DOI

  • Internationally, standardised approaches are used to collect patient experience information, but in Australian primary health care (PHC), little is known about which patient experience surveys are used and which aspects of experience they measure.

    Usability of patient experience surveys in Australian primary health care: a scoping review* · 2015 · DOI

  • BACKGROUND: The Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI) was developed to measure patients' enablement, which is an indicator of the effectiveness of a primary care consultation; however, to date, the PEI has not been tested in Asian populations.

    A pilot study on the validity and reliability of the Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI) in a Chinese population · 2010 · DOI

  • Although the various tools and techniques of quality management are routinely deployed in order to improve healthcare quality, an integrated approach is lacking, which combines the customer focus to identify quality issues, analytical techniques for prioritising improvement measures and a project management approach to plan, implement and evaluate the improvement projects.

    Innovation in healthcare services: a customer-focused approach · 2009 · DOI

  • The pattern of results suggests that MSU inpatients are discriminating in their evaluation of different aspects of service and feel able to report dissatisfaction where this is warranted.

    Patient satisfaction with services in medium secure units · 2005 · DOI

  • All of the 5 scaling assumptions (item-convergent validity, item-discriminant validity, equal item variance, equal item scale correlation, and score reliability) were met, suggesting that these items may be used to represent the primary care scales and the scoring of these items may be summed without standardization or weighting.

    Validating the Adult Primary Care Assessment Tool · 2001

  • Findings indicated a significant degree of association suggesting that a systematic listing of QA monitors for TR exists and that further validity testing is warranted.

    Establishing Quality Assurance Monitors for the Evaluation of Therapeutic Recreation Service · 1990

  • Future research could address these limitations by employing study designs that include physicians and other healthcare professionals and that examine trends over extended periods, particularly considering global changes.

    The Impact of Healthcare Workers’ Perception of the Quality on Their Performance Levels: A Study of Nurses at Zonguldak State Hospital · 2026 · DOI

  • Conversely, a notable limitation of approaches that assess healthcare processes against specific quality indicators and standards is that they may not adequately capture the perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals during the restructuring of healthcare processes.

    The Impact of Healthcare Workers’ Perception of the Quality on Their Performance Levels: A Study of Nurses at Zonguldak State Hospital · 2026 · DOI

  • CONCLUSIONS: This scoping review identified gaps in evidence on patient complaints, organisational responses and policies, providing a foundation for research on healthcare complaints in LMICs.

    Organisational responses to patient complaints in healthcare service delivery in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review · 2026 · DOI

  • • Conduct larger multi-center trials with blinded assessors across diverse Bihar ICU settings.

    A study to assess the effectiveness of Communication Board on level of satisfaction among mechanically ventilated patients at Intensive Care Unit at NMCH, Jamuhar · 2026 · DOI

  • This limited data may provide implications to be assessed to keep the positive trend in our country in patient satisfaction and future analyses evaluating infinite potential factors to hasten the progress of health care in our country.

    Patient satisfaction with health care services in Turkiye: A glimpse from nationwide Ministry of Health database · 2024 · DOI

  • One solution has been the development of quality systems that combine measuring processes and the personal outcomes of service users, though the efficacy of such systems has not been explored.

    Moving on from Quality Assurance: Exploring Systems that Measure both Process and Personal Outcomes in Disability Services · 2019 · DOI

  • The gap is more critical because the specialized dimensions of four research variables have not been previously integrated into a coherent framework and interrelationships among them have not been studied and clarified in detail.

    Interrelationships among quality enablers, service quality, patients’ satisfaction and loyalty in hospitals · 2017 · DOI

  • To test the hypothesis that quality of care varies widely within different countries, we conducted a prospectively designed evaluation of quality for three common clinical conditions: diarrhoea, tuberculosis and prenatal care.

    A cross-national comparison of the quality of clinical care using vignettes · 2007 · DOI

  • Evaluation of the program was done using two types of questionnaires: daily evaluation and overall evaluation withenclosed and open questions aiming to evaluate the needs, motivation of stakeholders participated in the course,curriculum of the course, quality of lecturers, course organization.

    Quality Assessment of the Postgraduate Health Management Training Course · 2006 · DOI

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72 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 1,223 Patient Satisfaction in Healthcare papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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