Evaluation of patient satisfaction in a Government Homeopathic Hospital in West Bengal, India

Abstract

Background and aims – Discovering the degree of patient satisfaction in a medical practice setting may put substantial impact in improving health status and quality of care provided. In this study, the researchers evaluated the degree of patient satisfaction following medical encounters and re-examined the validity and reliability of the used questionnaires.
 Methodology – An institutional, cross-sectional, observational study was carried out involving 390 participants in February, 2013 in five out-patient clinics of Mahesh Bhattacharyya Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Govt. of West Bengal, Howrah, India. A 12-item Japanese short-form self-administered consultation satisfaction questionnaire translated into Bengali with a 5-point Likert scale was used. The questionnaire generated 5 subscales – overall satisfaction, complete examination, whole person care, examination time, and patient centeredness. Visual analogue scales (VASs) of 100mm were provided with each single question item and each subscale.
 Results – The questionnaire appeared reliable and valid. Internal consistency scores Cronbach’s α were between 0.7-0.9 and test-retest reliability Cohen’s κ was greater than 0.7 for each item. Concurrent validity Pearson’s r between total questionnaire and VASs was 0.60, P < 0.001; each subscale scores 0.8 < r < 0.9, P < 0.0001, and each question score 0.8 < r < 0.9, P < 0.0001. Comparison of mean scores of five different subscales for five different outpatient clinics yielded F ratios between 4.3-9.8 (P < 0.05, df = 4, 95% CI) establishing discriminant validity.
 Conclusions – Overall, the patients’ satisfaction appeared to be high. Further works should be undertaken adapting the questionnaire globally in different languages.