Assessing Patient Satisfaction in General Surgical Wards: Insights from a Transformative Experience Study in Saudi Arabia

Published date: Dec 31 2025

Journal Title: Dubai Medical Journal

Issue title: Dubai Medical Journal (DMJ): Volume 8, Issue 4

Pages: 409 - 426

DOI: 10.18502/dmj.v8i4.20476

Haneen Ibrahim Baker BarnawiH-brnawi@ut.edu.saDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk

Amirah M AlatawiDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk

Hatoun Amer AlaliCollege of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk

Abdulrhman Amer AlaliCollege of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk

Maram Khalid AlshammariCollege of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk

Osama Nasser AlaydaCollege of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk

Abdulrahman Abdullah AlelyaniCollege of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk

Salihah Siddiq AlzubaidiCollege of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk

Omniah A. AlmansouriCollege of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk

Abeer Bader AlanaziCollege of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk

Norah Mohammad AlsabeelahCollege of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk

Abeer Ali AlabawiCollege of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk

Abdullah Nasser AlaydaCollege of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk

Ghaida Bandar Jazzi AlanaziCollege of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk

Anfal Salem AlhawitiCollege of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk

Background: Patient satisfaction is a key indicator of quality in healthcare, reflecting patients’ experiences and perceptions of care received. This study aimed to assess patient satisfaction with surgical care in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and identify the factors influencing it.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted from August to October 2024 at King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, involving 200 surgical patients admitted for elective or emergency procedures. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire that was translated to Arabic and was based on the patient satisfaction questionnaire (PSQ-18), covering sociodemographic details and patient satisfaction across communication, accessibility, technical quality, and interpersonal manner. Responses were measured on a 5-point Likert scale. Statistical analysis using IBM SPSS version 27.0.1 included descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman’s correlation, with significance set at P < 0.05.

Results: Overall, patient satisfaction was high, with 89.5% of respondents agreeing that the surgical care received was excellent. Non-Saudi participants reported significantly higher satisfaction (median 57.0, IQR: 53.0–64.0) compared to Saudi participants (median 54.0, IQR: 49.0–59.0; P-value = 0.043). Major surgery patients had higher satisfaction scores (median 56.0, IQR: 50.0–60.0) than those undergoing minor surgeries (median 52.0, IQR: 49.0–58.0; P-value = 0.024). No significant correlation was found between length of hospital stay and satisfaction (r = -0.005, P-value = 0.949).

Conclusion: High satisfaction levels highlight strengths in communication and facilities. However, improvements in access to specialists and reduced emergency wait times are needed. Recommendations include clearer communication, improved specialist access, and enhanced interpersonal training for healthcare providers. Expanding these strategies may improve surgical care satisfaction in other regions as well.

Keywords: patient satisfaction, surgical care, healthcare quality, Saudi Arabia

[1] Alemu ME, Worku WZ, Berhie AY. Patient satisfaction and associated factors towards surgical service among patients undergoing surgery at referral hospitals in western Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia. Heliyon. 2023 Mar;9(3):e14266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14266 PMID:36938460

[2] Ataro BA, Geta T, Endirias EE, Gadabo CK, Bolado GN. Patient satisfaction with preoperative nursing care and its associated factors in surgical procedures, 2023: A cross-sectional study. BMC Nurs. 2024 Apr;23(1):235. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-01881-5 PMID:38584268

[3] Azam P, Akhlaq A, Niazi MM, Nawaz S. Impact of outpatient quality services on patient satisfaction. Natl J Heal Sci. 2023;8(4):162–167. https://doi.org/10.21089/njhs.84.0162.

[4] Tsai TC, Orav EJ, Jha AK. Patient satisfaction and quality of surgical care. J Surg Res. 2014;186(2):528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2013.11.382.

[5] Afrashtehfar KI, Assery MK, Bryant SR. Patient satisfaction in medicine and dentistry. Int J Dent. 2020 Dec;2020:6621848. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/6621848PMID:33456467

[6] Amporfro DA, Boah M, Yingqi S, Cheteu Wabo TM, Zhao M, Ngo Nkondjock VR, et al. Patients satisfaction with healthcare delivery in Ghana. BMC Health Serv Res. 2021 Jul;21(1):722. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-06717-5 PMID:34294102

[7] Cairns A, Battleday FM, Velikova G, Brunelli A, Bell H, Favo J, et al. General patient satisfaction after elective and acute thoracic surgery is associated with postoperative complications. J Thorac Dis. 2020 May;12(5):2088–2095. https://doi.org/10.21037/jtd-19-3345bPMID:32642112

[8] Okonta KE, Ogaji DS. Predictors of patient satisfaction with surgical care in a low-middle-income country. Int J Acad Med. 2021;7(4):7. https://doi.org/10.4103/IJAM.IJAM_132_20.

[9] Radwan NM, Alkattan AN, Haji AM, Alabdulkareem KI. Evaluation of levels and determinants of patient satisfaction with primary health care services in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Med J. 2023;5(4):128–137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44229-023-00039-w.

[10] Mousa W, Aldehayyat JS. Regional efficiency of healthcare services in Saudi Arabia. Middle East Dev J. 2018;10(1):152–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/17938120.2018.1443607.

[11] Chana P, Burns EM, Arora S, Darzi AW, Faiz OD. A systematic review of the impact of dedicated emergency surgical services on patient outcomes. Ann Surg. 2016 Jan;263(1):20–27. https://doi.org/10.1097/SLA.0000000000001180 PMID:26840649

[12] Mehta R, Tsilimigras DI, Paredes AZ, Dillhoff M, Cloyd JM, Ejaz A, et al. Is patient satisfaction dictated by quality of care among patients undergoing complex surgical procedures for a malignant indication? Ann Surg Oncol. 2020 Sep;27(9):3126–3135. https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-020-08788-w PMID:32638162

[13] Kamra V, Singh H, Kumar De K. Factors affecting patient satisfaction: An exploratory study for quality management in the health-care sector. Total Qual Manage Bus Excell. 2016;27(9-10):1013–1027. https://doi.org/10.1080/14783363.2015.1057488.

[14] Versluijs Y, Lemmers M, Brown LE, Gonzalez AI, Kortlever JT, Ring D. The correlation of communication effectiveness and patient satisfaction. J Patient Exp. 2021 Mar;8:2374373521998839. https://doi.org/10.1177/2374373521998839 PMID:34179403

[15] Alasiri AA, Alotaibi SA, Schussler E. Patient satisfaction among Saudi academic hospitals: A systematic review. BMJ Open. 2024 May;14(5):e081185. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-081185 PMID:38772587

[16] AlSairafi R, Softa S, Elfaki E, Simbawa H, Ahmed A. elfaki E, Simbawa H, Ahmed A. Patients satisfaction towards services provided in general surgical ward in King Faisal Hospital, Makkah, KSA. Saudi Med Horizons J. 2023;3(2):106–109. https://doi.org/10.54293/smhj.v3i2.67.

[17] Alkhaibari RA, Smith-Merry J, Forsyth R, Raymundo GM. Patient-centered care in the Middle East and North African region: A systematic literature review. BMC Health Serv Res. 2023 Feb;23(1):135. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09132-0 PMID:36759898

[18] Abolfotouh MA, Al-Assiri MH, Alshahrani RT, Almutairi ZM, Hijazi RA, Alaskar AS. Predictors of patient satisfaction in an emergency care centre in central Saudi Arabia: A prospective study. Emerg Med J. 2017;34:27–33. https://doi.org/10.1136/emermed-2015-204954

[19] Al-Neyadi HS, Abdallah S, Malik M. Measuring patient’s satisfaction of healthcare services in the UAE hospitals: Using SERVQUAL. Int J Healthc Manag. 2018;11(2):96–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/20479700.2016.1266804.

[20] Hermann RM, Long E, Trotta RL. Improving patients’ experiences communicating with nurses and providers in the emergency department. J Emerg Nurs. 2019 Sep;45(5):523–530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jen.2018.12.001 PMID:30655007

[21] Patil S. A new service model for identifying and improving the quality of emergency department operations in tertiary settings. Open Access Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington. 2024. https://doi.org/10.26686/wgtn.26802976

[22] Friedel AL, Siegel S, Kirstein CF, Gerigk M, Bingel U, Diehl A, et al. Measuring patient experience and patient satisfaction—How are we doing it and why does it matter? A comparison of European and U.S. American approaches. Healthcare (Basel). 2023 Mar;11(6):797. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11060797 PMID:36981454

[23] Teshome D, Mulat Y, Fenta E, Hunie M, Kibret S, Tamire T, et al. Patient satisfaction and its associated factors towards perioperative anesthesia service among surgical patients: A cross-sectional study. Heliyon. 2022 Mar;8(3):e09063. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09063PMID:35287330

[24] García-Alfranca F, Puig A, Galup C, Aguado H, Cerdá I, Guilabert M, et al. Patient satisfaction with prehospital emergency services. A qualitative study comparing professionals’ and patients’ views. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Jan;15(2):233. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15020233 PMID:29385778

[25] Buli B, Gashaw A, Gebeyehu G, Abrar M, Gerbessa B. Patient satisfaction with post-operative pain management and associated factors among surgical patients at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital: Crosssectional study. Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2022 Jul;79:104087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104087 PMID:35860062

[26] Diwan W, Nakonezny PA, Wells J. The effect of length of hospital stay and patient factors on patient satisfaction in an academic hospital. Orthopedics. 2020 Nov;43(6):373–379. https://doi.org/10.3928/01477447-20200910-02 PMID:32956469

[27] Bird VJ, Giacco D, Nicaise P, Pfennig A, Lasalvia A, Welbel M, et al. In-patient treatment in functional and sectorised care: Patient satisfaction and length of stay. Br J Psychiatry. 2018 Feb;212(2):81–87. Available from: https://doi.org/DOI https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2017.20PMID:29436328