Inventories of patient satisfaction are important tools to help health systems receive feedback from patients regarding the quality of care they received.Hospitals have long done their own surveys and inventories, but the HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey was the first standardized survey in the United States designed to capture, directly from patients, their perspectives of the hospital care they received.

The HCAHPS survey contains 19 core questions asking patients about everything from communication with nurses and doctors to the cleanliness and quietness of the hospital environment.A random selection of patients who have had a recent hospital stay are contacted to participate in the survey via mail or telephone.

The English version of the HCAHPS is posted within our weekly folder (of note, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Portuguese and German versions are also produced).

-Why is it important to survey patients and what are some factors that can affect the accuracy of the responses received?

-Critique the survey.What are positive and negative aspects and opportunities for improvement?

-Does this survey accurately capture feedback from patients about the cultural competency of the care they received?

-Write two additional questions to add to the survey to directly ask patients about their experiences with staff and the hospital environment regarding this topic.