Were you satisfied with your care the last time you walked through the door of a hospital or clinic? The list published by Le Figaro in 2026, based on nearly 1.5 million questionnaires collected in 2025 by the High Authority for Health (HAS), offers a snapshot of patient perception in more than 900 public and private establishments. A good way to reveal the good and bad points.
An overall positive perception of the hospital stay
Overall, the results show that patients remain mostly satisfied with their hospital experience. Average scores reach 80.1 out of 100 in outpatient surgery, 75.2 out of 100 for hospitalizations of more than 48 hours in medicine-surgery-obstetrics, and 77 out of 100 in medical and rehabilitation care. These data confirm that the hospital remains one of the public services best perceived by the French.
However, we cannot deny it: this overall satisfaction takes place in a context of persistent tensions on human resources and the organization of care, fueling concerns about a possible future deterioration in the quality of care.
The central role of nursing staff
One of the major lessons of the ranking also concerns the importance of the human factor. In most establishments, patients praise the quality of the relationship with caregivers, their availability and their empathy. This relational dimension appears to be the main driver of satisfaction, sometimes more than the material or technical aspects of the stay.
This recognition underlines the determining role of medical and paramedical teams in the overall perception of the quality of care, confirming that the lived experience is based as much on listening and support as on therapeutic effectiveness.
Weak points linked to the conditions of stay and the organization
Conversely, several logistical aspects attract more criticism. Patients regularly mention inadequacies regarding the comfort of rooms, the cleanliness of premises, the quality of meals or even noise pollution. These elements are particularly sensitive during long hospitalizations or rehabilitation, where the living environment can directly influence recovery.
In outpatient surgery, the criticisms relate more to the organization of the care pathway: waiting times considered excessive, lack of information before or after the procedure and sometimes insufficient preparation for discharge. These dysfunctions can lead to complications or avoidable rehospitalizations.
Useful rankings but to be interpreted with caution
According to Dr Gérald Kierzek, these rankings are of real interest because they make it possible to evaluate essential dimensions of the “patient experience” such as welcome, perceived care, cleanliness of rooms or quality of meals. They thus constitute a useful complement to the more traditional indicators of quality and safety of care.
However, they are based above all on subjective user satisfaction, which does not necessarily reflect objective medical quality.
“There is sometimes a form of inverse proportionality”he emphasizes. “Several biases must be taken into account: voluntary participation of the most motivated patients, focus on planned hospitalizations (outpatient, rehabilitation, short stays) and under-representation of often saturated emergencies.”
The comparison between public and private establishments can also be unequal. Private clinics, which accommodate more scheduled and less complex cases, often obtain better ratings, while university hospitals take care of the most serious situations.
“These rankings do not measure mortality, complications, or the complexity of the cases treated.”
Thus, a poorly ranked hospital may excel in critical care or serious pathologies, while a clinic highly rated for its reception may not be suitable for managing complications, requiring a transfer to a more specialized establishment. These data can therefore guide a patient’s choice, but do not constitute an absolute indicator of quality.
Improvements still needed
Vigilance also in the long term. For Dr Gérald Kierzek, if overall satisfaction remains honorable, reception conditions must still improve in France. “Saturated emergency departments, prolonged waiting times on stretchers, temporary closures of services or even difficulties in finding available beds seriously degrade the patient experience.
These difficulties are closely linked to staff shortages and organizational constraints. Improving reception therefore requires, according to him, a priority given to the humanization of care and the retention of health professionals.
“We cannot ignore the need to better treat caregivers and increase their number,”
he insists.
In a system often caught in a vicious circle – work overload, loss of attractiveness, increased tensions – the quality of the patient experience directly depends on the well-being of the teams. In summary, satisfied caregivers contribute to satisfied patients.
Structural challenges for the future
Behind the ranking, the study highlights the major challenges that the French hospital will have to respond to: modernization of infrastructure, improvement of the organization of pathways, dissemination of a patient-centered culture and strengthening of the workforce.
If hospitals today continue to benefit from a generally positive image thanks to the commitment of their professionals, the capacity of the system to maintain this level of satisfaction will depend on future reforms and the means granted to concretely improve the conditions of care.
To find out more, find the entire list as well as the position of establishments near you on newsstands or online.