Impact of Outpatient Quality Services on Patient Satisfaction

Abstract

Abstract: Background: The success and survival of any healthcare organization depends on the patient’s satisfaction and quality. Patient satisfaction plays a vital role in the performance of care.

Objective: To identify the factors influencing patient satisfaction with outpatient quality services in public and private hospitals.

Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on outpatient patients from different public and private hospital settings in Karachi, Pakistan. Data was collected through virtual tools such as Google Docs, asking about their experience of outdoor patients (OPD) in public or private hospitals. Using a non-probability, convenience sampling technique, a 5% margin of error and a confidence interval of 95%, the sample size was calculated as 377 participants rounded off to 400. Respondents were divided into males and females who visited any specialty department or general OPD. A self-administered questionnaire was designed to gather data, and a digital tool such as Google Docs was used to reach a wider audience. The reliability of the pre-validated tools has been assessed through Cronbach’s alpha. The Cronbach alpha for outpatient quality services is 0.717, and patients’ satisfaction is 0.98.  The data were analyzed using the SPSS 25V by IBM Corporation.

Result: Most respondents were from the age group (26-35 years), making up 42% of the entire population. Data gathered showed private hospitals preference over public hospitals and satisfaction as well. All the quality service variables identified in the study had a direct relationship with patient satisfaction except waiting time, which had a negative relationship. Regression Analysis showed a positive impact on the availability of services; thus 1% increase in service will lead to a 0.484% change in patient satisfaction. A negative relationship was also witnessed with a 1% increase in waiting time patient satisfaction is down by 0.119%.

Conclusion: The level of satisfaction in public hospitals was not quite adequate, and the services were correspondingly rated as exceptional. The findings suggest that focusing on the nature of physician-related services, waiting for test results, and waiting for appointments are the most important factors impacting patient satisfaction in the outpatient division.