A semester-long student survey reveals widespread dissatisfaction with Undergraduate Health Services (UHS), according to a report released yesterday.
Student satisfaction in the survey rose 2 percentage points since 1992, the last time this survey was performed. But overall levels of satisfaction remained low, with just 58 percent of students rating their care as good or better. Only 3 percent of respondents rated UHS' care "excellent," and just 6 percent said they would "definitely" recommend UHS to others in the Harvard community.
"I'd heard lots of things about UHS, but to see it statistically, in black and white, was really quite startling," said Joanna L. Chan '02, co-chair of the UHS-affiliated Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC). "It points out that in the student body, there's an overall discontent with the quality of care."
In response to the survey, the facility has already hired a full-time physician to staff the after-hours urgent care clinic, replacing part-time physicians who were paid for the number of days they worked. UHS has also increased the number of afternoon and evening appointments available.
"What we've done is shift hours into the evening hours. Four to 10 p.m. is a very busy time," said UHS Director David S. Rosenthal '59. "That seems to be when students access urgent care."
UHS has also installed new appointment scheduling software in hopes of making the scheduling process easier and faster.
Difficulty in obtaining appointments was only one concern voiced by the 709 students in the survey, conducted by Cambridge's Axiom Research Company through mail and e-mail. Thirty-six percent of those who rated care less than "very good" said fear of misdiagnosis was their primary concern with UHS.
Other frequently cited concerns included poor, incomplete or rushed care and poor attitudes of care providers.
The survey also identified a number of areas of strength, with at least 70 percent of respondents indicating satisfaction with UHS physicians, UHS nurse practitioners and their treatment plans. Seventy-six percent of students also rated UHS' convenience "good" or better.
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