[Population's satisfaction with hospitals before and after a hospital reform in Norway].

BACKGROUND: We investigated patients' satisfaction with availability and quality of hospital services in 2000 and 2003, that is before and after the Norwegian hospital reform.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The data were collected from two national surveys in 2000 and 2003. The participants were asked about their satisfaction with availability (choice and waiting time for an appointment) and quality (result of treatment, professional skills, service-mindedness, punctuality, information and available time). For each question, changes in mean satisfaction from 2000 to 2003, corrected for changes in the composition of the sample, were estimated.

RESULTS: A clear and statistically significant improvement in patient satisfaction with the availability and quality of hospital services took place from 2000 to 2003. In general, patients were more satisfied with the quality than with the availability of hospital services.

INTERPRETATION: The hospital reform may have contributed to improved satisfaction with hospitals, though other factors may also have played a part.