Assessment of beneficiary satisfaction at district early intervention centre, Mysuru district, Karnataka

Abstract

Background: District early intervention centres (DEIC) are established under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), aimed at providing early intervention and screening of the children identified with 4Ds. Aimed to assess the beneficiary satisfaction visiting DEIC. Patient satisfaction was an important and commonly used indicator for measuring the quality of health care.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at DEIC, Mysuru to assess client satisfaction. 276 study participants who visited the DEIC (from January 2021 to June 2021) were selected through the convenience sampling method. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered about the services provided across various departments at DEIC. Data were analyzed by using IBM version 23 SPSS.Results: Among 276 beneficiaries who reached DEIC, about overall client satisfaction, 250 (90.5%) were satisfied and 26 (9.42%) were dissatisfied with the functioning and services provided across various departments at DEIC. 272 (98%) were satisfied more with the information provided about the medications by the pediatric department and 11 (18.0%) were more dissatisfied with the room infrastructure, information provided about treatment adopted and instructions to parents/guardians for regular follow up by the counseling department.Conclusions: Overall, the clients were more satisfied with the services provided by the pediatric department and less dissatisfied with the counseling and psychology department. The findings of this present study will be useful input for the early intervention centers to improve their services and can also give an overview to the healthcare managers and policymakers in developing programs and policies. Improvement in the psychology, counseling, and ophthalmology departments will provide better beneficiary satisfaction.