Understanding patient satisfaction and loyalty in public and private primary health care.

Abstract

Background: The quality of health centers, patient satisfaction, and loyalty are three key factors that enable health care providers to improve their services and cost-effectiveness. This study, therefore, aims to determine patient satisfaction and loyalty in public and private primary health care centers.Design and Methods: Data were obtained from a cross-sectional design of 1470 self-administered questionnaires and analyzed based on mean, standard deviation, and correlation coefficients.Results: The results showed respectively a strong and moderate correlation between patient satisfaction and loyalty in private (r=0.767) and public (r=0.54) primary health care centers, respectively. In addition, in both centers patients received adequate medical services, with social aspects as the least important factors affecting patient satisfaction.Conclusions: In conclusion, primary health care practices need to recognize the needs that influence patients’ satisfaction and loyalty, to improve the quality of their services.Significance for public healthPatient satisfaction affects all dimensions of healthcare services, including patient retention, which is the key factor that determines their return to the same center. The provision of high standard health services, staff motivation, and showing appreciation help to retain patients. It is important to determine the driving forces that influence patients’ choice to return for more services in order to implement effective strategies for maintaining their loyalty. This paper describes the correlation between patient satisfaction and loyalty in public and private primary health care.