A Study on Inpatient Complaints Using Root Cause Analysis for Quality Improvement

Abstract – This study aims to improve the quality of inpatient services through analyzing the inpatient feedback form to identify the gap in services. It helps to identify the real-time problem for the patients during their stay in the hospital. The study was conducted in a 200- bedded multispecialty hospital for 3 months with retrospective data of 350 inpatient feedback forms. The study was a descriptive & analytical study with 12 departments in the hospital. Using analytical tools like the Ishikawa (fishbone) diagram and Pareto chart indicates the majority of complaints are caused by 50% of the departments, like Canteen Services (23%), Billing (13%), and the Housekeeping Department (12%). The departments with low satisfaction levels have a connection with increased waiting time in departments like lab, radiology, and billing services. The primary cause for the low satisfaction level is supportive services. This study suggests that improving the quality of supportive services increases the overall satisfaction level of inpatients. Key Words: Inpatients, pareto chart, fishbone diagram and patient satisfaction