Patient satisfaction with hospital services in COVID-19 era: A cross-sectional study from outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in Jammu, UT of J&K, India.

Abstract

In the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) era, healthcare delivery toward patient-centered orientation has gone a paradigm shift. High levels of adherence to treatment and recommended prevention are usually the outcome of perceived patient satisfaction. The present study aimed to assess patient satisfaction levels in the COVID-19 era and explore its determinants. A cross-sectional study from outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in Jammu, UT of J&K, India. The present cross-sectional study was carried out in outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in the Jammu district. A total of 220 patients were interviewed using consecutive sampling. The tool used to assess patient satisfaction was the patient satisfaction questionnaire-18 (PSQ-18). Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Tests of significance used were ANOVA and <i>t</i>-test. The overall mean satisfaction score was found to be 2.91 ± 0.17 and it was highest in the communication domain (3.12 ± 1.50), whereas it was lowest in the accessibility and convenience domain (2.73 ± 1.17). Except for religion, which was found to be statistically significant (<i>P</i> < 0.05) with overall mean satisfaction score, other sociodemographic variables (occupation, marital status, and monthly family income) were found to be statistically insignificant (<i>P</i> > 0.05). Out of the seven subscales of patient satisfaction, results revealed high scores for communication and financial aspects. Only religion as a demographic variable was found to be significantly associated with patient satisfaction scores. There is a need to improvise the healthcare services in this COVID-19 era in such a manner so that we can contribute to better patient trust leading to a positive influence on health outcomes.