A survey of more than 17,000 parents of hospitalized children, conducted by the Center of Excellence for Pediatric Quality Measurement at Boston Children’s Hospital, gives mixed responses about the quality of the inpatient experience at 69 U.S. children’s hospitals. The analysis, the largest to date in pediatrics, found much variability from hospital to hospital. The findings are reported online in the journal Pediatrics.
“Patient and family experience is one of the core aspects of quality healthcare, and has been associated with improved health outcomes,” says lead author Sara Toomey, MD, MPhil, MPH, MSc, medical director of patient experience at Boston Children’s and assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. “This large data set gives us a much-needed overview of how well hospitals are doing in providing positive pediatric patient and family care experiences.”
