Parental opinion regarding the pediatric outpatient organizations’ functioning as an important criterion of pediatric medical care quality

Abstract

A survey was carried out to identify the factors influencing parent satisfaction with care provided in a pediatric clinical setting for children younger than 15 years. We distributed questionnaires to 300 parents to measure the quality of medical care provided in pediatric outpatient settings in Volgograd. The questionnaires included 26 closed questions, most of which were subjective and straightforward. The questions concerned availability of information about pediatric clinical settings, scheduling an appointment with a pediatrician or a pediatric specialist, patient waiting time for medical care, meeting the requirement to obtain voluntary informed consent from patients and availability and suitability for pediatric patients of most laboratory and diagnostic facilities. Parents reported that they obtained information from different sources, including registration staff in a clinical setting, the website of a clinical setting as well as from posters and patient brochures in the clinical setting. 68% of the respondents stated that the information provided was sufficient and comprehensible. Most respondents regarded registration staff working in pediatric clinical settings as the most authoritative source of information available. Registration stations in clinical settings were reported as the easiest and most affordable system for scheduling medical visits. 80% of the respondents stated that they always gave their informed consent to therapy or related issues, while 16% - rarely, and 4% of the respondents never provided informed consent. The majority of the respondents in the survey indicated that the information about their children’s health provided by the pediatrician was sufficient and accurate. The respondents reported being satisfied with the work hours of a pediatrician and waiting time for medical care. Out of 300 respondents, 79% said that their children received consultations with pediatric specialists as indicated.