The role of customer satisfaction in change management in the hospital: an empirical analysis in Italian Hospital

In the present study an example of how public relation offices can grow up and become more and more important for the implementation of new strategies in the whole organization is presented. This process of increasing institutionalization of public relations has been stimulated by the customer satisfaction survey, that has constituted a strategic tool for the public relation office itself. By “institutionalization” of public relations we mean two different level of analysis: a) from survey to action research: the customer satisfaction survey becomes strategic for organizational change; b) from normative instrument to instrument of legitimacy and empowerment: the customer satisfaction survey becomes strategic for the institutionalization of public relations office. The growing complexity of Italian sanitary context, has lead hospitals and local Governments to focus their attention on quality that is perceived by customers and clients of sanitary system. These organizations are peculiar for the high level of inner complexity and because they have a very high number and variety of stakeholders, both internal and external (such as clients and their relatives or doctors and nurses), with an high level of both social and economic relevant consequences for people, social groups and institutions. That’s why for Lombardia Regional Government annual customer satisfaction surveys are compulsory for every hospital in regional area. We have conducted a quantitative survey on 22.000 subjects, by using a multiple choice questionnaire instrument; two open answer questions have been added at the end of the questionnaire, to collect comments, suggestions and complaints. Subjects are patient form four hospital in the city of Milan, including patients from day hospital, laboratory of analysis and outpatient. Main results of the survey are: a) high level of satisfaction in the critical area of relations and information; b) low level of satisfaction in the critical area of organization and structure. Specific results from one of the four hospitals underline the role of customer satisfaction survey as an action research. Out from the main results, critical activities for the organizations have been classified in: a) basic activities; b) complementary activities; c) strategic activities; d) opportunities.