Aims: An annual diabetic patient satisfaction survey obtained from a diabetes health department at a southern regional hospital in 2016 indicated the satisfaction scores of diabetes mellitus patients receiving nutrition counselling were lower than the threshold. Therefore, the quality control circle technique was applied to improve patients’ satisfaction with nutrition counselling.
Methods: The root causes of patients’ dissatisfaction with nutrition counselling were determined through team brainstorming and fishbone diagrams. After discussing cause and effect analysis, the group proposed the following solutions to problems: adding a secondline dietitian as a support mechanism; creating dietary guidance related to festivals and special events; assessment and recording of patients’ nutrition status by health educators followed by referral to a dietitian.
Results A total of 50 questionnaires were collected for the diabetic patients’ satisfaction survey after implementing solutions. Diabetic patients’ satisfaction scores rose from 4.53 to 4.68. The improvement rate was 3.3% and the goal achievement rate was 750%. Patients’ satisfaction scores with personalized dietary guidance related to festivals and special events were the lowest before implementing solutions and rose from 4.47 to 4.7. The improvement rate was 5.1% and the goal achievement rate was 287.5%.
Conclusions: Application of the quality control circle technique by dietitians and health educators to identify, analyze and solve nutrition problems of diabetic patients could improve patients’ satisfaction with nutrition guidance in a diabetes shared care program.