Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences
ISSN: 1858-5051
High-impact research on the latest developments in medicine and healthcare across MENA and Africa
Patient Satisfaction and Its Predictors in the General Hospitals of Southwest Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Survey
Published date: Mar 31 2022
Journal Title: Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences
Issue title: Sudan JMS: Volume 17 (2022), Issue No. 1
Pages: 15-27
Authors:
Abstract:
Background: Patient satisfaction occupies a central position in measuring the quality of care as it provides information on the provider's success, meeting the patient’s values and expectations. Hence, it is an essential tool for assessing health services outcomes. This study aimed to assess patients' satisfaction level and factors influencing healthcare quality of general hospitals in the Jazan region, Saudi Arabia (SA).
Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 423 patients selected through stratified random sampling from general hospitals of the Jazan region.
Results: The overall satisfaction rate among the study participants was 80.9%. Satisfaction with food services was the highest (91.15%) followed by doctor services (81.0%), reception and entry procedures (80%), and nursing services (78.15%). The various aspects of satisfaction with doctors and nurses included the treatment prescribed by physicians, clarity in communication with patients, compassion and providing clear explanation of what they were doing. However, about 27.3% of the patients were dissatisfied with the length of waiting period before seeing a doctor. Binary logistic regression analysis suggested that uneducated patients and patients with secondary school education were more likely to have higher satisfaction level than university-educated patients (OR = 3.40, 95% C.I. [1.56–7.45], p = 0.002), (OR = 2.66, 95% C.I. [1.28–5.55], p = 0.009), and (OR = 2.29, 95% C.I. [1.40–3.73], p = 0.001), respectively.
Conclusion: The health services satisfaction level was high in the Jazan population. However, some aspects of dissatisfaction were reported, such as the long waiting period before seeing a doctor. These aspects are recommended to be improved to ensure that the services provided by general hospitals are of high quality.
Keywords: satisfaction, health services, general hospitals, Jazan
References:
[1] Westaway, M. S., Rheeder, P., Van Zyl, D. G., et al. (2003). Interpersonal and organizational dimensions of patient satisfaction: the moderating effects of health status. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 337–344.
[2] Spreng, R. A., MacKenzie, S. B., and Olshavsky, R. W. (1996). A reexamination of the determinants of consumer satisfaction. Journal of Marketing, vol. 60, no. 3, pp. 15–32.
[3] Sodani, P. R. and Sharma, K. (2011). Assessing patient satisfaction for investigative services at public hospitals to improve quality of services. National Journal of Community Medicine, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 404–408.
[4] Donabedian, A. (1988). The quality of care: how can it be assessed? JAMA, vol. 260, no. 12, pp. 1743–1748.
[5] Ware, J. (1978). A taxonomy of patient satisfaction. Health and Medical Care Services Review, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1–5.
[6] Lin, B. and Kelly, E. (1995). Methodological issues in patient satisfaction surveys. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 32–37.
[7] Al-Sakkak, M. A., Al-Nowaiser, N. A., Al-Khashan, H. I., et al. (2008). Patient satisfaction with primary health care services in Riyadh. Saudi Medical Journal, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 432–436.
[8] Al-Aujan, S., Al-Aqeel, S., Al-Harbi, A., et al. (2012). Patients’ satisfaction with diabetes medications in one hospital, Saudi Arabia. Patient Prefer Adherence, vol. 6, p. 735.
[9] Sayed, H. Y., Mohamed, H. A., and Mohamed, E. E. (2013). Patients’ perceptions as indicators of quality of nursing service provided at Al Noor Specialist Hospital at Makkah Al Moukarramah, KSA. Journal of American Science, vol. 9, no. 5, pp. 71–78.
[10] Abdelhafez, A. M., Al Qurashi, L., Al Ziyadi, R., et al. (2012). Analysis of factors affecting the satisfaction levels of patients toward food services at general hospitals in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. American Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences, vol. 2, no. 6, pp. 31–50.
[11] Saad, A. A. and Abdulla, A. A. (2014). Patients satisfaction with the services of hospitals affiliated to the Ministry of health in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1st ed.). Riyadh. Retrieved from https://docs.ipa.edu.sa/%D8%B1%D8%B6%D8%A7%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%86/HTML/16/
[12] Tucker, J. L. and Adams, S. R. (2001). Incorporating patients’ assessments of satisfaction and quality: an integrative model of patients’ evaluations of their care. Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 272–287.
[13] Cleary, P. D. and McNeil, B. J. (1988). Patient satisfaction as an indicator of quality care. Inquiry, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 25–36.
[14] Cheng, S. H., Yang, M. C., and Chiang, T. L. (2003). Patient satisfaction with and recommendation of a hospital: effects of interpersonal and technical aspects of hospital care. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 345–355.
[15] Fenton, J. J., Jerant, A. F., Bertakis, K. D., et al. (2012). The cost of satisfaction: a national study of patient satisfaction, health care utilization, expenditures, and mortality. Archives of Internal Medicine, vol. 172, no. 5, pp. 405–411.
[16] Hekkert, K. D., Cihangir, S., Kleefstra, S. M., et al. (2009). Patient satisfaction revisited: a multilevel approach. Social Science & Medicine, vol. 69, no. 1, pp. 68–75.
[17] Bjertnaes, O. A., Sjetne, I. S., and Iversen, H. H. (2012). Overall patient satisfaction with hospitals: effects of patient-reported experiences and fulfilment of expectations. BMJ Quality & Safety, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 39–46.
[18] Robert, V. K. and Daryle, W. M. (1960). Small-sample techniques. The NEA Research Bulletin, vol. 38, p. 99.
[19] Dockins, J., Abuzahrieh, R., and Stack, M. (2015). Arabic translation and adaptation of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) patient satisfaction survey instrument. Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 518–536.
[20] Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ministry Health (MoH). (2020). Patient experience measurement program. Patient satisfaction survey. Retrieved from http:// https://www.moh.gov.sa/en/Ministry/pxmp/Pages/default.aspx
[21] Owaidh, A. O., Atiah, A. A., Abadi, A. S., et al. (2018). Patients’ satisfaction with health care services in Southern Saudi Arabia. The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine, vol. 72, no. 1, pp. 3857–3860.
[22] Chen, J. Y., Tao, M. L., Tisnado, D., et al. (2008). Impact of physician–patient discussions on patient satisfaction. Med Care, vol. 46, pp. 1157–1162.
[23] Shilling, V., Jenkins, V., and Fallowfield, L. (2003). Factors affecting patient and clinician satisfaction with the clinical consultation: can communication skill training for physicians improve satisfaction? Psychooncology, vol. 12, no. 6, pp. 599–611.
[24] Jalil, A., Zakar, R., Zakar, M. Z., et al. (2017). Patient satisfaction with doctor–patient interactions: a mixed methods study among diabetes mellitus patients in Pakistan. BMC Health Services Research, vol. 17, no. 1, p. 155.
[25] Al-Doghaither, A. H. (2000). Inpatients satisfaction with nursing services at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Journal of Family and Community Medicine, vol. 7, pp. 37–45.
[26] Abdel Maqsood, A. S., Oweis, A. I., and Hasna, F. S. (2012). Differences between patients' expectations and satisfaction with nursing care in a private hospital in Jordan. Journal of Nursing Practice, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 140–146.
[27] Merkouris, A., Papathanassoglou, E. D., and Lemonidou, C. (2004). Evaluation of patient satisfaction with nursing care: quantitative or qualitative approach? International Journal of Nursing Studies, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 355–367.
[28] Cleary, P. D., Keroy, L., Karapanos, G., et al. (1989). Patient assessment of hospital care. QRB. Quality Review Bulletin, vol. 15, no. 6, pp. 172–179.
[29] Schoenfelder, T., Klewer, J., and Kugler, J. (2011). Determinants of patient satisfaction: a study among 39 hospitals in an in-patient setting in Germany. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, vol. 23, no. 5, pp. 503–509.
[30] Elliott, M. N., Kanouse, D. E., Edwards, C. A., et al. (2009). Components of care vary in importance for overall patient-reported experience by type of hospitalization. Med Care, vol. 47, no. 8, pp. 842–849.
[31] Alaloola, N. A. and Albedaiwi, W. A. (2008). Patient satisfaction in a Riyadh Tertiary Care Centre. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, vol. 21, no. 7, pp. 630–637.
[32] Hargraves, J. L., Wilson, I. B., Zaslavsky, A., et al. (2001). Adjusting for patient characteristics when analyzing reports from patients about hospital care. Med Care, vol. 39, no. 6, pp. 635–641.
[33] Quintana, J. M., González, N., Bilbao, A., et al. (2006). Predictors of patient satisfaction with hospital health care. BMC Health Services Research, vol. 6, no. 1, p. 102.
[34] Jaipaul, C. K. and Rosenthal, G. E. (2003). Are older patients more satisfied with hospital care than younger patients? Journal of General Internal Medicine, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 23–30.
[35] Afzal, M., Rizvi, F., Azad, A. H., et al. (2014). Effect of demographic characteristics on patient’s satisfaction with health care facility. Journal of Postgraduate Medical Institute, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 154–160.
[36] Wensing, M., Mainz, J., Kramme, O., et al. (1999). Effect of mailed reminders on the response rate in surveys among patients in general practice. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, vol. 52, no. 6, pp. 585–587.
[37] Cleary, P. D. (1998). Satisfaction may not suffice! A commentary on ‘A patient's perspective’. International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 35–37.
[38] Cleary, P. D., Lubalin, J., Hays, R. D., et al. (1998). Debating survey approaches. Health Affairs, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 265–268.
