Study finds many patients dissatisfied with hospitals

New York Times, March 31, 2008

Many hospital patients are dissatisfied with some aspects of their care and might not recommend their hospitals to friends and relatives, according to the government Web site www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov. The ratings for most of the nation's hospitals are based on a uniform national survey of patients, and many patients reported that they had not been treated with courtesy and respect by doctors and nurses; that they had not received adequate pain medication after surgery; and that they did not understand the instructions they received when discharged from the hospital.