The clinical laboratory service: medical practitioners' satisfaction in southern Ethiopia.

Abstract

To evaluate medical practitioners' satisfaction with the clinical laboratory services by health institution in southern Ethiopia. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was undertaken from June 2013 through April 2014, which involved 290 medical practitioners from 19 health institutions. The mean (SD) overall satisfaction score was 3.36 (0.87) of 5.0. For most of the specific service categories, the highest rating was "good." The highest mean (SD) score was for clarity and readability of results (4.09 [0.99] of 5.0), while the lowest was for blood bank service (1.72 [1.88] of 5.0). This study identified wide room for improvement by the services provided from clinical laboratories. Corrective actions for the less satisfied service categories and continuous monitoring of laboratory activities are essential for the development of quality in clinical laboratories of health institutions in southern Ethiopia.