Determinants of Patient Satisfaction at Tertiary Care Centers in Lebanon

Mona Abu Ammo,Samer Kobrosly,Amani K Abu-Shaheen,Mohamad A Al-Tannir

doi:10.4236/ojn.2014.413100

Abstract

Objective: To assess patient satisfaction with services provided in inpatient health care settings in Lebanon. Methods: Our cross-sectional study enrolled patients who spent a minimum of one night in any ward at accredited hospitals in various regions of Lebanon. A structured questionnaire covering multiple domains was utilized to assess patient satisfaction as well as capture demographic data and visit characteristics. Results: From the pool of 1300 patients given questionnaires, a high response rate (92.8%; 1206) was achieved. Most (60.4%) respondents had the second class medical insurance coverage; only 99 (8.2%) had a first class coverage. Patient satisfaction was influenced by age, educational level, and medical insurance coverage class. Most respondents were pleased with overall nursing care (96.6%), and physician consultations (95.4%), P = 0.001. Conclusions: Patient satisfaction with hospital care is significantly influenced by patient’s provider interactions during the episodes of care. Furthermore, the surrounding physical environment also has an influence on patient satisfaction. Also, our results showed the acceptable level of satisfaction about the healthcare system delivered in Lebanon. This could be enhanced if appropriate management decisions will be implemented to overcome weakness and barriers.

Highlights

Patient satisfaction is essential in assessing the quality of health care delivered [1]
With regard to the demographic characteristics of patients and their satisfaction with different indicators, our study showed that only age, education level, and grade of medical insurance coverage were the influenced patient satisfaction
The surrounding physical environment has an influence on patient satisfaction

Summary

Introduction

Patient satisfaction is essential in assessing the quality of health care delivered [1]. Patient satisfaction describes how patients value and regard their care; it is a process as much as an attitude, so it must be, monitored continually, and frequently measured. How to cite this paper: Ammo, M.A., Abu-Shaheen, A.K., Kobrosly, S. and Al-Tannir, M.A. (2014) Determinants of Patient Satisfaction at Tertiary Care Centers in Lebanon. Previous studies focused on patient satisfaction as a precondition to achieve desirable clinical outcomes [2]. Patients’ satisfaction became an essential component of health care services quality monitoring and improvement processes [4]. In today’s competitive health care environment, measuring quality has become a necessity; health care bodies should focus on patient satisfaction as a way to gain and maintain market share

Methods

Results

Conclusion