Measuring and managing computer user satisfaction toward the systems they use is an important step toward making those systems more effective. In this paper, results of an empirical study to analyze the items affecting user satisfaction in hospitals are presented. The study utilized a reliable and well-validated measurement instrument with 860 subjects in 70 hospitals from across the country. Comparison norms for computer user satisfaction were determined. Analysis of the data found differences in satisfaction by hospital type, but not by computer control or application type. The importance of the factors affecting satisfaction varied considerably, but no consistent pattern existed. Average satsifaction varied significantly between factors, but were highly correlated between hospital types. Perceived “need for the system” and “relevancy of the output” were the most satisfying, while “time to process changes” and “flexibility of the system” were the least satisfying factors. The concept was subsequently used to study the satisfaction of computer users at 160 Veterans Administration Medical Centers.
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