Assessment of patient satisfaction with inpatient services at secondary level setting

Background: Continuous quality improvement is linked to the use of timely and useful feedbackfrom clients. Patients constitute the hospital’s direct clientele. The overall satisfaction is an importantaspect of the service itself and it is considered to be an important outcome measure for healthservices. Patient care is not considered to be of high quality unless the patient is satisfied.Objective: To assess the level of satisfaction with available health services among inpatientsattending secondary level hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted usingpretested, semi-structured questionnaire among 100 inpatients attending Government HospitalChidambaram, Tamil Nadu. Systematic random sampling was used. Results: 96% participants weresatisfied with the attitude of doctors and nurses, 80 % were highly satisfied with the cleanliness ofhospital campus,82 % were highly satisfied with lab services, 83% satisfied with food services. 92%were satisfied with the speedy admission to the ward, 74% satisfied with the ward facilities. 86 %gave a neutral response for other amenities,26 % satisfied with a drinking water facility. Overallsatisfaction among inpatients was a mean of 3.9 out of 5 (78%). Socio-demographic characteristicswere not significantly related to overall satisfaction scores. Conclusion: Patients were generallysatisfied with the hospital facilities. Patients input on various deficiencies needs to be addressed bythe hospital leadership to achieve consumer delight.