Purpose: As one of the healthcare organizations striving to reach optimum quality level, King Abdulaziz Medical City staff believed that knowing the patients' service perspective is one core service quality indicator. This article aims to spotlight the level of patient satisfaction or dissatisfaction in one Riyadh tertiary centre.
Design/methodology/approach: Cross-sectional survey involving 1983 inpatient, outpatient and emergency care patients at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh using a self-developed patient satisfaction questionnaire.
Findings: There was a significant satisfaction with room comfort (88.5 percent), room temperature (78.1 percent), room call button system (87.9 percent), room cleanliness (79.6 percent) and respectful staff (87.4 percent). Patients were significantly dissatisfied with phlebotomists not introducing themselves (74 percent), not explaining procedures (57.2 percent) and physicians not introducing themselves (59.1 percent).
Research limitations/implications: Only the overall satisfaction dimensions were studied in a socio-demographic context. Not every service was studied separately, so the patients' answers may not represent the hospital.
Practical implications: It is recommended that service standards in the areas in which patients were significantly dissatisfied should be raised by involving senior leaders. Areas for which patients were significantly satisfied will need to be sustained or even improved.
Originality/value: So far no similar service quality and patient satisfaction based studies from Saudi health care systems are reported in international peer reviewed journals.