Authors : Ahmad M.S. Almrstani, Basem Eldeek, Hussain Abubakr, Abdullah Alnoman and Abdullah Anshasi
Abstract: Patient satisfaction has been an important indicator of measuring quality in health care. It is the health care recipient’s reaction to aspects of his or her service experience. Patient satisfaction measures have been incorporated into reports of hospital and health plan quality. So, we aimed to determine the factors that affect patient satisfaction in the obstetrics ward of a university hospital in Saudi Arabia be able to render useful information for the hospital’s management and help improve patient satisfaction in the aforementioned country. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the obstetrics ward at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. During the period November 2012 till March 2013, a questionnaire regarding patient satisfaction was given to 150 patients ready for discharge from the hospital. Data were obtained from the response of the patients, based on the care received during hospitalization. The responders are equally dividing regarding the nationality 75 Saudi patients and 75 non-Saudi patients. The percentage of respondents following in KAUH was 97 (64.7%) while those who are not 53 (35.3%). Regard the educational level 80 (53.3%) had high school or lower level of education and 54 (36%) had higher education. There were 120 (80%) respondents who were admitted through ER and 30 (20%) who were admitted through OPD. 105 (70%) of the participants delivered by way of SVD while 45 (30%) delivered through caesarian section. The results showed that majority of the Saudi participants (86.67%) were satisfied on most of the services provided by the hospital as compared to non-Saudi respondents (13.33%). In conclusion, there are several factors affecting patient satisfaction in the obstetrics and gynecology department in KAUH like demographic characters, mode of admission way of delivery, the type of anesthesia and days of hospitalization. The results showed that the services provided received high satisfaction rate among the local population, contrary to the patient respondents from different culture and nationality who requires more attention and care. In the end, we need to continuously improve our service to become the best healthcare institution in Saudi Arabia and researchers recommended to conduct more studies in the future about the different factors affecting patient satisfaction.
Ahmad M.S. Almrstani, Basem Eldeek, Hussain Abubakr, Abdullah Alnoman and Abdullah Anshasi, 2014. Determinants of Patient Satisfaction in the Obstetrics Ward at a University Hospital in Saudi Arabia. Research Journal of Medical Sciences, 8: 94-98.