Patient and Family Satisfaction

In our ongoing efforts to exceed expectations, we request the opinions of patients and families about the services we provide by sending out over 15,000 surveys each calendar year. This direct feedback helps us make changes and continue the cycle of improvement.

We send satisfaction surveys to a random selection of patients after they visit Dana-Farber. The survey asks patients and their families to rate the care they received and provide comments about their experience. Dana-Farber uses this survey to learn more about:

• overall experience of patients
• ease of scheduling patient visits
• patient's perception of the check-in process and wait time
• facility-related issues and building appearance
• Yawkey 2 / lab draw area
• patient safety issues
• patient's perception of their oncologist and nurses
• patient's satisfaction with symptom management and addressing personal issues
• patient's satisfaction with radiology, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy services

In an effort ensure that patient voices are heard, all survey questions are reviewed by the Patient and Family Advisory Councils at Dana-Farber. The survey questions are based on the Councils' perspective of what is most important to patients and their families.

Benchmarking Information

A benchmark is a standard by which something is evaluated or measured. Health care organizations use benchmarking to evaluate aspects of their processes in relation to best practices or other similar institutions (peer groups).

The adult benchmark peer group includes National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers and members of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Centers in the benchmark group offer services similar to those available at Dana-Farber.

Currently, there is no appropriate benchmark for the pediatric patient satisfaction data. Dana-Farber is one of a few oncology-specific hospitals that measures satisfaction specifically in the pediatric population.