Patient satisfaction surveys in Colombia: Scope for improvement

Objetive: The study reviews whether the three major Colombian surveys meet the eight World Health Organization responsiveness criteria. The responsiveness framework is an internationally acknowledged standard that meets the challenge of evaluating patient satisfaction. Method: After exploring patient evaluations practices that are internationally recognized, this study makes a comparative analysis of the Colombian surveys. Results: Colombian surveys are concerned on evaluating patients’ perception of quality. There are only few questions that have an equivalent assessment to the eight dimensions suggested by the World Health Organization. Conclusion: By using this framework, the three major Colombian surveys, which deal with health and medical care, do not make accurate evaluation of patient satisfaction. This article suggests how to ameliorate the situation by taking advantage of Colombia’s celebrated household survey infrastructure as well as its administrative requirements.