Chart I: Dimension of the satisfaction and dissatisfaction of patients and their relatives

Source: Compilation based on the Health Care Humanisation Plan

The Plan concludes that “satisfaction depends basically on the patient’s feelings that he/she is being well treated” (p. 100).

Regarding hospitalization, the Plan defines it as “an emotionally intense experience for the patient as well as for his/her relatives and companions” (P. 119), who feel fragile in an unknown environment, probably perceived as hostile, and in a situation in which uncertainty becomes a determining factor, even during the recovery process.

The main areas of improvement in hospitalization are extracted from the Madrid Health Service satisfaction survey:

Information provided to patients and relatives, about health care assistance and administrative procedures.

Accessibility for the disabled.

Patient’s comfort in the room.

Companions’ comfort.

Food quality.

Pain management.

Explicitly mentioned among them due to its negative assessment are the lack of information and the lack of comfort in the rooms. And when looking at claims presented by patients and relatives we can see how those related with the area of health care organization, health care circuits and treatment stand out.

Julio Zarco, former general Director of Citizen Information and the Humanisation of Health Care in the Community of Madrid, when asked about the role of communication in the design of the Humanisation Plan, states: “Communication pervades the whole strategic humanisation plan, because communication is essential as a tool for professionals and