Satisfacción del usuario que requiere exámenes de laboratorio urgentes, Costa Rica

background: based on a new holistic quality concept, some patients’ satisfaction studies have been carried out in the central valley of our country. however, in the huetar atlantic region, such studies have never been published. objective: analyze the satisfaction of patients who undertake urgent laboratory tests at cariari health area through the implementation of a research performed under the dimensions of responsiveness, accessibility, courtesy, comfort, communication and professionalism. materials and methods: aquantitative,positivistconception, based on interviews applied to patients in a sample of 344 patients, all users of a clinical laboratory of the cariari health area. results: highlights the dissatisfaction with the response time of the clinical laboratory, especially the waiting time for patients to receive the result. discussion: in order to improve patient satisfaction should be increased human resources, automated testing, and acquire equipment with higher processing capacity