A cross sectional study on patient satisfaction and its association with length of consultation at the University Malaya Medical Centre Primary Care Clinic.

Abstract

Patient satisfaction has been found to be a determinant of patient compliance to medical advice and treatment, medical service utilisation, the doctor-patient relationship, and continuity of care. Assessment of patient satisfaction can be used to evaluate health care services and identify areas to target for quality improvement. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the satisfaction level of patients attending a primary care clinic and its associated factors. Participants' experience of time at the clinic, socio-demographic data, and personal health information were collected. The 18-Item Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire was used to determine patient satisfaction. Univariate and multivariate analyses were employed to identify the factors associated with patient satisfaction. We recruited 327 participants and 50.46% reported satisfaction. The highest satisfaction was reported in the communication domain (80.80% of the maximum score) and the lowest score was reported in the accessibility and convenience domain (66.40%). The only significant positive correlation with total patient satisfaction score was the difference between perceived and expected length of consultation. The only independently associated factor was the difference between perceived and expected length of consultation; therefore, changing how time is spent during consultations may prove useful in improving patient satisfaction.