TÜRKİYE’DE GÖĞÜS CERRAHİSİ ALANINA YÖNELİK HASTA ŞİKAYETLERİ: DİJİTAL PLATFORMDAKİ YORUMLARA YÖNELİK BİR ANALİZ

Patient complaints are an important source of feedback in assessing quality and safety in the healthcare system. This study aimed to examine patient complaints submitted to the "sikayetvar.com" website regarding Thoracic Surgery in Turkey. The study also aimed to identify common themes in patient complaints regarding Thoracic Surgery, better define the patient population submitting complaints, and systematically examine the reasons for complaints. This retrospective study examined complaints submitted to the "sikayetvar.com" website using content analysis, a qualitative research method. The study examined 287 posts regarding Thoracic Surgery in Turkey made to the "sikayetvar.com" website between January 1, 2023, and August 15, 2025. Of these complaints, 89 were excluded due to their relevance to the wrong section and unclear content, leaving a total of 198 complaints for review. Complaints were categorized by gender, whether the institution was a public or private hospital, whether it was an inpatient, outpatient, or emergency room, the type of surgical procedure, whether the complaint was related to other departments, the number of times the complaint was viewed, and the subject of the complaint. In the study, it was observed that 198 (68.91%) of the 287 complaints related to the Thoracic Surgery department were actually complaints related to thoracic surgery. Of the 198 individuals who complained, 117 (59.09%) were female and 81 (40.91%) were male. Of the 198 complaints related to thoracic surgery, 107 (54.04%) were related to procedures performed in thoracic surgery. Responses were received for 43 of the 198 complaints (21.72%). It was observed that complaints from all patients who underwent surgery were significantly higher than complaints from breast surgery outpatient clinic patients (p <0.05). Of the 198 complaints, 41 (20.71%) were related to the clinic, 72 (36.35%) to management, and 85 (42.94%) to communication. Of the complaint categories, 27 (12.54%) were related to lack of communication, 19 (9.60%) related to staff attitude, 16 (8.08%) related to patient-staff dialogue, 14 (7.07%) related to respect, sensitivity and compassion, and 14 (7.07%) related to access and admission. Patient complaints remain a relatively underutilized resource for addressing the shortcomings of the Thoracic Surgery branch. Understanding the sources of patient dissatisfaction with Thoracic Surgery services can help reduce the number of patient complaints and improve patient care. These results are believed to guide healthcare facility managers in effective complaint management and help increase patient satisfaction.