Abstract
Objective: To determine what influences the satisfaction of rehabilitation inpatients and their relatives with physiotherapy after severe traumatic brain injury.
Design: A prospective purpose-designed survey of consecutive eligible patients discharged from a metropolitan brain injury unit.
Participants: A total of 65 patients with severe traumatic brain injury and 32 relatives.
Results: The vast majority of patients (99%) and relatives (97%) reported being "satisfied" or "highly satisfied" with the service. Patients' overall satisfaction was influenced by the extent of actual and perceived improvement, satisfaction with certain aspects of service delivery, and quality of interaction with physiotherapy staff. Satisfaction with the amount of therapy was the key determinant for patients' overall satisfaction, whereas relatives' overall satisfaction was influenced primarily by how well they felt they were listened to by physiotherapy staff.
Conclusion: The high satisfaction of the patients and relatives suggests that our brain injury unit provides physiotherapy that meets their expectations. Promoting recovery, providing high-quality care, and ensuring good interaction are ways to maintain high satisfaction of patients and relatives with the service. In addition, staff may have to pay particular attention to patients' satisfaction with the amount of therapy and ensure that relatives' needs are listened to.