A Study on Patient Satisfaction in OPD at District Hospital Navanagar, Bagalkot, Karnataka

Abstract

Outpatient Department (OPD) in any hospital is considered to be the “shop window” of the hospital, as the OPD is the first point of contact between hospital and patients and hospital staff. The first impression the patients get of the hospital is from the OPD. It act as a window to hospital services and a patient’s impression of the hospital begins at the OPD. The reputations of the hospital can largely be made or marred by its first impression upon the patient in the first minutes after arrival by the care provided in the OPD and the staffs’ behavior. In general hospital the most important problem in OPD is the intense load and increasing demands for outpatient care. The services in OPD is affected by the arrival pattern or input rate of patients at the central waiting room, input and output rates at various clinics and other supportive service units, service time at various clinics and queue lengths at waiting rooms of clinics. Objective: The aim of the present study was to analyze and compare the level of satisfaction of patients attending the OPD of a government hospital. 1. To assess the patient satisfaction who utilizes the OPD services at District Hospital, Navanagar, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India. 2. To study the level of patient satisfaction about hospital structure. 3. To study the level of patient satisfaction about hospital process. 4. To study the level of patient satisfaction according to services provided by the hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional model was selected for the present study. A total of 60 patients were selected through random sampling. The study included adults under the age group of 21–58 years who visited the Government hospital, Navanagar, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India and were interested to join/participate in the study. A structured interview schedule was developed based on the review of literature, discussion with experts and investigators’ personal and professional experiences. It consisted of a feedback form regarding services of OPD. Results : The present study was an attempt to assess the level of satisfaction of the patients about various aspects of OPD at the hospital. Out of the 550 OPD patients interviewed for the study, 40 (66.66%) were males and 20 (33.33%) were females. Majority of the patients (43.33%) belong to the age group of 41–60 years followed by 26.66% in the age group 21–40 years. About 20% of the patients were from the age group of 0–20 years and about 10% were in the age group of 61–80 years. There was no (0%) patient in the age group of 81 years and above. Majority of the patients were educated up to primary level (40%) and about 30% were illiterate. About 16.66% had secondary education and 10% had higher secondary education. No one was postgraduate. The quality of health services as perceived by the patients was determined for three criteria. More than half of the patients rated the following determinates as good waiting time in the hospital (50%), privacy in the hospital (53.33%) and time given by doctors in the hospital (58.33%); similar results were also observed in the studies. On enquiry suggestions for improvement, majority of patients (30%) said that the medicine should be subsidized. About 20% and 6.6% patients suggested about upgraded lab, X-ray services and upgraded billing/paper services. A total of 13.33% patients felt that the hospitals were unclean especially toilet and bathrooms. Also 13.33% patients felt that senior doctors should be involved in the checkup of patients. Conclusion: It was observed that hospitals were overcrowded in the morning hours; hence staff should be increased in few areas such as OPD, laboratory, pharmacy, injection room etc. The discipline of the doctors in keeping away the medical representatives is very much useful in improving OPD services.