Assessing Patient Understanding and Satisfaction in Orthopedic Trauma and Elective Surgery Admissions

Background When seeking healthcare, patients often struggle to understand the information provided by healthcare professionals regarding their condition and treatment plan. Additionally, patient satisfaction with their experience can vary widely. Improved patient understanding and satisfaction are linked to better outcomes. This study aims to explore the factors influencing patient understanding to help healthcare professionals enhance these aspects. Objective This study evaluated the level of understanding and satisfaction among patients attending outpatient appointments. It also investigated factors influencing understanding by examining differences in results across various patient groups and analyzing these variations. Methods This study was conducted at Queens' Hospital Burton, a level III trauma unit, over a three-week period in September 2023. Patients attending their orthopedic outpatient appointments were given a questionnaire, which included both bipolar 1-5 scale questions and open-ended text response questions. Results Patients generally reported high levels of understanding and satisfaction, averaging 90.34% and 96.20%, respectively. Those seen in a nurse-led clinic demonstrated significantly greater understanding of their condition compared to those seen by a physician (p = 0.0377). Additionally, trauma patients had a significantly higher level of understanding (p = 0.0167) and satisfaction (p = 0.0115). Conclusions To achieve better patient outcomes, it is crucial to optimize both patient understanding and satisfaction. Nurse-led clinics demonstrate higher levels of understanding, so identifying and incorporating the factors that contribute to this success into physician-led clinics is essential. These factors may include differences in communication methods, the resources provided, or the consultation setting. Additionally, the educational methods used with trauma patients appear more effective than those used for elective cases and should be evaluated to determine if they can enhance understanding and outcomes in other settings. Implementing evidence-based strategies for effective patient communication, such as maintaining good eye contact, avoiding medical jargon, and establishing rapport, could improve understanding and satisfaction and ultimately lead to better patient outcomes.