Some effects of a hospital employee strike on patient satisfaction

A 55-item questionnaire was administered via telephone to patients prior to (n = 644) and during (N = 906) a strike by hospital employees in order to assess levels of satisfaction with hospital services. Both samples were similar with respect to age, sex, median length of stay, path of admission, and hospital location. Results show that satisfaction levels during the strike were equal to or higher than those obtained pre-strike for most items. Exceptions were in the area of housekeeping and dietary/food delivery. Medical and nursing care scores were higher during than prior to the strike. Scores during the strike period were obtained for early, middle, and late periods. Late strike results tended to be lower than those for earlier period. Implications of the data are discussed.