Inpatient symptoms: treatment outcomes and satisfaction

Abstract

Purpose: Physical symptoms are the cause of many outpatient illnesses. We assessed symptoms in inpatients to determine frequency, persistence at discharge, and the relationship between symptom outcome and nursing satisfaction. METHODS: Over a 12-month period, 2,126 inpatient medical patients completed the study interview within 2 hours of admission. More than half (n = 1,168) of patients were re-interviewed within 24 hours of discharge. We determined the presence and severity of 11 physical symptoms, activities of daily living, mobility, mood, self-assessed health status, physical severity of illness, nursing satisfaction, and length of hospital stay.