Developing a child patient satisfaction survey: a quality improvement project

Aim: To develop a child-centred patient satisfaction questionnaire for use in an Outpatient Paediatric Dental Department. Method: Data from patient satisfaction interviews was used to develop a child satisfaction questionnaire, which was used in two different centres after piloting. Results: The final questionnaire contained 7 questions and a comments section, using writing and facial images used to record children views. The questionnaire was distributed to 203 children; 95% were happy or okay with the waiting area, 69% were happy about seeing the dentist and 77% children were happy overall. Conclusion: Measures of satisfaction of children with regard to dental treatment were very different from those commonly used for adults. Further development and implementation of child satisfaction surveys should be considered.