Project Materials

PATIENT PERCEPTION AND SATISFACTION WITH HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS AT PRIMARY CARE FACILITIES

ABSTRACT

This research looked at how patients felt about and were satisfied with the medical staff in primary care clinics in a few different Enugu hospitals. The survey found that all three institutions had high levels of satisfaction and perceived quality of care. The clinic had the best perceived quality of treatment (100%) followed by the health centre (98.1%) and the hospital (94.3%). Similar trends were seen in overall satisfaction at the clinic (100%), health centre (94.3%), and hospital (93.2%). However, there are still certain areas of treatment that need improvement. All of the medical facilities, but particularly the health facility, received poor ratings from the consumers for several areas of responsiveness and communication. There was a shortage of several necessary medications at the hospital and health facility. Customers of the hospital and health facility found the waiting times to be less than satisfactory. Significant predictors of the impression of quality of care include the availability of all prescribed medications inside the facility, the comfort of the waiting room, and the clients’ opinion of prejudice against them because of their lack of funds. Overall impressions of care quality and facility cleanliness are the most important indicators of satisfaction.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

The foundation of a nation’s health care system is primary health care. The greatest predictor of the nation’s degree of social development and the determinant of its health condition is the standard of healthcare that the vast majority of its citizens have access to. Primary health care services must meet the following crucial requirements: be affordable, effective in terms of methods and organisation, easily accessible to individuals involved, acceptable to the community they serve, and reasonably priced. In addition to being affordable, health care services should be offered in a language and manner appropriate for the community and people they serve, taking into account regional traditions and customs. higher patient compliance, continuity of treatment, improved clinical results, higher use of services, and risk management have all been associated with patient happiness. Thus, patient satisfaction is a crucial indication for assessing and improving health care services as well as a critical marker for the quality of health care delivery. Early research on patient satisfaction in healthcare began in the United States in the 1950s. These studies sought to predict patient satisfaction levels by identifying patient variables such age, gender, and race (Apostle and Oder 1967; Bertakis et al. 1991). To find characteristics that affect total patient satisfaction, another set of research examined health-care features such nurse care, physician care, etc. (Ware et al. 1975; Ross et al. 1993; Dansky and Brannon 1996; Oswald et al. 1998). In his comparative analysis of patient happiness, Dr. Veera Prasad identified five factors that influence patient satisfaction.

Reliability: The capacity to provide the promised service with accuracy and dependability.

Responsiveness: The readiness to assist patients and provide timely care.

Assurance: The staff’s expertise, politeness, and capacity to inspire confidence and trust.

Empathy: Giving patients individualised, compassionate care.

Tangibles: The way that actual buildings, machinery, and communication and personal items seem.

An investigation was conducted to determine which characteristics of access, staff care, and physician care are most important in determining how patients react to the services they get. According to the analysis, access had the least impact of the three criteria, while staff care and medical care had the most effect.To guarantee a good experience at the medical institution, it is necessary to evaluate the combination of all these elements that affect patient happiness.

Unfortunately, very little research has been done on patient satisfaction at the primary care level, particularly with regard to general practitioners operating solo clinics, which make up the majority of private primary care services. This is in contrast to the numerous studies that have been conducted that have examined the parameters of patient satisfaction in tertiary care centres and large hospitals in India.

Globally, health facility management techniques now include measuring client or patient satisfaction as a crucial component (Smith and Engolbracht, 2001). Because it affects customer satisfaction with services provided by medical experts, a health facility’s success is reliant on how its clients see the quality of its medical treatment. Client satisfaction affects the use of medical facilities in addition to guaranteeing adherence to treatment and sickness education.

Turhal and colleagues (2002) noted that during the last two decades, the “disease-centered” approach to patient care has given way to a “patient-centered” approach. Patients now have greater control over the care they get and have the chance to alter how it is provided to them. Poor provider-client relationships have been a defining feature of Nigerian health care throughout the years, leading to significant concerns from both patients and certain healthcare staff. Thus, one of the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) biggest problems is providing high-quality, client-centered treatment. The problem of enhancing the quality of healthcare received significant attention at the 1989 Regional Directors’ meeting as a consequence of the concerns expressed by patients and healthcare professionals. Following the conference, attempts were made to identify important topics for raising the standard of healthcare throughout the nation, attracting the attention of both policy makers and health care professional organisations.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

All healthcare institutions must provide high-quality care that lives up to the expectations of their patients. However, this isn’t the case throughout the nation. Clients’ concerns over the quality of service have grown as a consequence of the very bad provider-client relationship. In its national health strategy statement, the MOH (2007) lists shortages of equipment, consumable supplies, and certain necessary medications as well as user complaints on the cruel and degrading treatment by healthcare workers as some of the difficulties facing the health system. Some healthcare facilities are effective, providing high-quality services and being attentive to their patients’ demands, while many are not, according to the national health policy statement.

The Nigerian Health Services advises that health facilities conduct client satisfaction surveys at least twice a year in order to track and enhance the quality of treatment provided by medical staff in the facilities.

Annual reports indicate that it has not been able to perform customer satisfaction surveys twice a year, despite the fact that some have been done. As a result, the sustainability of quality improvement initiatives over the course of the year is unknown.Client satisfaction surveys have not been carried out by the nation’s clinics and health institutions.This research on patient perception and satisfaction with healthcare professionals in primary health care facilities was conducted because it is unknown how well the professionals at these facilities provide care.

1.3 Justification

Data on customer satisfaction is a crucial instrument for raising standards of quality.This research explains how patients’ opinions and contentment with medical staff are used to gauge the quality of service in Enugu. It also determines which service areas are priority for development, as well as how satisfied clients are with the services that health professionals give. Additionally, it will assist in bridging the gap between the service that customers get and their expectations. Client attention in service delivery will be ensured by asking customers what they think of the present level of service. This is required to guarantee a high standard of service delivery quality.

Additionally, this research will assist healthcare institutions in implementing policies and initiatives that might enhance the interaction between clients and providers, hence increasing utilisation and generating income. It will also act as a baseline study since there hasn’t been any research done in the region that describes the quality of treatment at different levels.

1.4 Research Objectives

This study’s main goal is to characterise how patients feel about and are satisfied with the medical staff in Enugu’s basic healthcare facilities. The particular goals are:

1. To explain and contrast the perceived quality of treatment at Enugu’s different care levels
2. To ascertain the degree of patient satisfaction with medical staff in the hospitals
3. To determine the factors that influence how well healthcare facilities perceive their services and how satisfied their patients are

1.5 Research Questions

The study was driven by the following research questions:

1. How good is the care at Enugu’s several levels of care, in your opinion?
2. To what extent are patients satisfied with the medical staff at the hospitals?
3. What factors influence patients’ perceptions of the quality of service and their level of satisfaction in medical facilities?

1.6 Limitation to Study

The following were the study’s main limitations:

FGDs and interviews were place on the grounds of the medical institution. Despite being guaranteed confidentially, this might lead to customers giving higher ratings out of fear of being victimised.

Interviewing carers for children under the age of 15 instead of the patients themselves may not provide an accurate picture since their opinions may vary from the patients’ own. Due to resource limitations, only one clinic and one health facility were tested.