Patients’ satisfaction with inpatient and outpatient aspects of care delivered at a District Hospital in Pretoria

Abstract

Patients’ satisfaction with inpatient and outpatient services is an important quality assessment measure for the delivery of health care. This study was conducted to assess the level of patients’ satisfaction with the quality of inpatient and outpatient services delivered at a district hospital situated in Pretoria. This cross-sectional study sampled a population comprising adult men and women aged at least 18 years or older that attended this facility during the period from 1st June to 31st July 2014. A convenience sampling was performed on the days when data were collected using a questionnaire. In total, 366 people answered the questions about outpatient services; among them, 135 answered questions pertaining to inpatient care services. The mean age of the participants was 35.59 (±12.15) years. The minimum age of respondents was 18 years and the maximum age 75 years. The majority of the participants fell within the 31-45 age category (41.53%). The overwhelming majority of the respondents (97.54%) were Black African; 62.3% were females. It is encouraging to note over 80% of respondents were satisfied with the following aspects of outpatient care: the condition of the hospital building, cleanliness, availability of benches to sit on, how the patients were treated throughout the hospital, particularly by the clerks, nurses, and doctors. It is also good that over 50% of respondents were satisfied with all the inpatient aspects of care assessed. In particular, over 80% of respondents were happy with the cleanliness of the ward, bedding and ablutions facilities as well as feeling safe at night. In conclusion, the findings of the study suggested that the majority of patients were satisfied with the inpatient and outpatient aspects of care provided at the hospital where this study was conducted. Institutional managers and staff members should be encouraged to maintain or improve the areas of which they are doing well and take corrective actions to address the shortcomings noted. Further studies should be considered at the study site to check whether improvements have been made.