Satisfaction and correlates of patients' satisfaction with physicians' services in primary health care centers

OBJECTIVE: To estimate quantitatively consumers' satisfaction and correlates of satisfaction with physicians' services provided by Ministry of Health Primary Health Care Centers in attending consumers.

METHODS: Consumers (n=540) attending the selected Primary Health Care Centers in Riyadh were asked about their satisfaction with physician's services. Eight Primary Health Care Centers were randomly selected according to the geographical location, two from each geographical zone. Seventy-five subjects were selected systematically where every tenth Saudi aged 15 years and above who visited the selected Primary Health Care Centers during the study period was chosen. Data was collected via a self administered pilot tested, internally consistent patient satisfaction questionnaire which included socio-demographic characteristics as well as the overall and differential satisfaction with the different aspects of physicians' services in the selected Primary Health Care Centers rated in a scale of 1–5 points, the higher the score the higher the satisfaction.

RESULTS: The results revealed that males constituted 60%, and 58% of all patients were married, more than 60% were employees and more than 70% have a monthly income of less than 6000 Saudi Riyals. Almost 95% have an open file in the Primary Health Care Center and 39% think that the distance to the Primary Health Care Center is far or very far. The summary satisfaction score was 3.77 points and the mean satisfaction with the services provided by physicians was 2.56 points out of a maximum of 5 points The highest satisfaction was for discussing psychological aspects of patients' problems (2.96 points) and the lowest was for attentive listening to patients' complaints (2.22 points). Physicians' communication skills were more satisfactory to patients than their professional skills and satisfying patients' wishes scored the lowest satisfaction- Unskilled laborers, literate patients and patients with higher income showed significantly higher mean satisfaction while students, illiterates, those aged less than 50 years and patients with income less than 6000 Riyals per months scored the lowest satisfaction. The longer the distance travelled the lower the satisfaction scores but having a file or not was not related to satisfaction.

CONCLUSION: Some physicians' service items need corrective intervention and students and young patients appear to need more attention.