Monitoring and assuring quality: The role of consumer satisfaction

A consumer satisfaction survey of a child and adolescent psychology service (1990) resulted in the identification of four targets for improvement. The survey was repeated in 1993 resulting in increased rates of satisfaction being obtained for each of the four selected quality improvement targets although only one reached statistical significance. There was a deterioration in satisfaction with other areas of the service with significant reductions being reported with the length of wait before first appointment, interval between appointments, and total number of appointments offered. This reflects activity data which demonstrated a 30% increase in new referrals. The results suggest that consumer satisfaction measures are sensitive to both planned and unplanned changes in service delivery and that repeated surveys can be used to assure and monitor service quality.