(Commonwealth Fund: New York) -- How do patients feel about the care they receive in U.S. hospitals? A study in the October 30 New England Journal of Medicine, supported by the Commonwealth Fund, shows that while patients are generally satisfied with their care, satisfaction levels aren't as high as they could be and rise significantly when hospitals have more nurses at the bedside. The study reveals that patients frequently feel hospitals fall short in addressing basic quality issues such as controlling pain, communicating about medications, and coordinating discharge planning.

“These data represent a fundamental change in the way we do business in healthcare. We now have information that is valid and reliable and reflects how patients perceive the care they receive. Our analysis shows that hospitals can do a lot better at providing patient-centered care,” says study lead author Ashish Jha, M.D., who co-authored the study. “The good news is that publicizing hospital performance is likely to stimulate improvements in the future, since hospitals will now have benchmark data to compare how they are doing.”

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