Category of improvement	Issues that could be improved
Surgical care
Contact with surgeons	Individual doctor–patient relationship (eg, doctors not friendly, not introducing themselves, not enough time)
	Large number of doctors (eg, large group of doctors at bedside, nobody introduces themselves)
	Personal attention for patient (eg, doctors should listen more to patient, not taking complaint seriously)
	Other personal treatment issues relating to doctors
Transfer of information from surgeon to patient	Between doctor and patient (eg, not enough explanation, talking with each other but not with patient)
	Clear information before surgery
	Information on (course of) treatment (eg, treating surgeon has not explained outcome of surgery)
	Information on (results of) tests (eg, information too limited)
	Information at discharge (eg, how wound should be treated at home)
	Other information from doctor to patient
Management relating to treatment	Information transferral between doctors (eg, disagreement on treatment policy between doctors, telling the same thing over and over again)
	Information transferral to nurses during admission
	Information transferral at discharge (eg, to GP)
	Waiting list of surgery
	Waiting time at admission (eg, had to come early and then wait for treatment for a long time)
	Waiting long for a doctor on day of discharge
	Admitted and send home (eg, due to other (emergency) surgery)
	Doctors changing all the time
	Other management issues relating to doctors
Medical care by surgeons	Timing of discharge, resulting in more medical complaints (eg, discharged too early, resulting in infection)
	Performance of medical procedure (eg, procedure caused a lot of pain, anaesthesia went wrong, ugly scar)
	Management by doctors resulting in health disadvantage to patient (eg, had to pay attention themselves whether the right treatment was received, eg, epidural or general anaesthesia)
	Other dissatisfaction with treatment by doctors
Other	Other improvements in surgical care mentioned
Nursing care
Contact with nurses	Nurse–patient relationship (eg, unfriendly nurse)
	No time to talk, little time for patient, impersonal
	Not taking patient seriously, poor listening
	Other personal treatment issues relating to nurses
Transfer of information from a nurse to patient	Between nurse and patient (eg, not enough explanation, wrong information)
	Information on use of medication
	Information on course of illness or discharge
	Information on (course of) treatment
	Other information given by nurses to patients
Management relating to treatment	Information transferral to doctors during admission, or with other nurses (eg, patient giving the same information several times)
	Nurses at central counter or in hall way spending too much time talking
	Too little privacy and quiescence (eg, due to visitors or taking care of other patients)
	Waiting time (eg, before being treated, being left alone, responding late to bell)
	Management relating to discharge
	Other management issues relating to nurses
Medical care by nurses	Wound treatment (eg, wound treated once instead of twice each day)
	Other medical treatment (eg, mistakes in drawing blood or setting up infusion)
	General treatment (eg, not being washed properly)
	Medication (eg, wrong medication given or at wrong time)
	Other dissatisfaction with treatment by nurses
Other	Other improvements in nursing care mentioned