Patient Satisfaction with Services at a General Outpatient Clinic of a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria

Aims: To determine the factors influencing patient satisfaction with services at the general outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital in Nigeria.
Study Design: A descriptive cross sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: We carried out the study between February and July 2011, in the General Outpatient Department of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital Sokoto, Ni.
Methodology: One hundred respondents were sampled using systematic sampling technique. We developed a structured questionnaire, which sought information on socio-demographic characteristics of patients, registration/wait times and patients’ satisfaction. We analyzed the data using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0.
Results: Out of the 100 patients sampled, 4 opted out, thus giving a response rate of 96%. Their ages ranged between 15-70 years with mean of 32±13 years. Students constituted 28.4% of the participants, followed by full term housewives (27%). Those participants having up to tertiary education accounted for 36.1%. Up to 62.5% of participants were females and majority of them were from urban areas (88.5%). Registration time ranged between 1-132 minutes (mean = 76±22.7 minutes) whereas clinic wait time ranged between 10-167minutes (mean = 83.7±38.6 minutes). Sixty five percent of them expressed satisfaction with neatness of the clinic environment, 48.5% expressed satisfaction with communication with the doctors while 65% expressed satisfaction with the explanations offered concerning their ailments. The overall satisfaction with services at the clinic was 52%. Determinants of satisfaction were total clinic wait time (P=.001, r=-0.4), clinic wait time (P=.007, r=-0.25) and age (P=.001, r=0.31).
Conclusion: The overall satisfaction with services at the clinic was above average, patients expressed dissatisfaction with registration time, wait time and condition of consulting room. Health care managers should commence appointment system to reduce the number of patients who turn out at the same time. They should also address provider-related factors that cause dissatisfaction.