Survey of Patient Satisfaction with Radiological Services in Public and Private Health Facilities in Kano

Abstract

Background: Patient satisfaction is the extent to which the patients feel that their needs and expectations are being met by the service provider. The survey of patient satisfaction with health care services is a growing concept in Nigeria, where study on this subject is just beginning to develop. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the patients’ satisfaction level with radiological services and to identify the factors that may account for the differences in their satisfaction between a public and a private health facility in Kano state Nigeria. Method: The study was a cross-sectional prospective survey that targeted patients who visited radiology departments. Data was collected using a 43 item self-completion questionnaire designed in line with the objectives of the study. The data were categorized into groups and analysed using a statistical package for social sciences version 20.0, where descriptive statistics such as the percentages and frequencies were generated and tabulated. A chi-square test was used to test for the differences in the patients’ satisfactory level at (p<0.05). Results: The results showed that 60.7% (n=85) were female while 39.3% (n=55) were male, 52.2% (n=47) of the respondents from the public hospital were dissatisfied, while 47.8% (n=43) were satisfied. At the private hospital, only 20% (n=10) were dissatisfied, while 80% (n=40) were satisfied with the radiological services received. The type of health facility and patients’ satisfaction was found to be statistically significant at (p<0.05). Conclusion: The patients in the private health facility of the study were more satisfied than those at the public health facility because of prompt attention given to them immediately after arrival, immediate collection of their radiological reports, and high ergonometric environment provided by the hospital staff.