Statisfaction on Out-Patient Services at Srinagarind Hospital

Abstract

Background: Out-Patient department is the first place where patients and relatives met hospital team. There are many steps for hospital service delivery.  Hospital consumers satisfaction is an important measure of service quality in health care organizations.  Therefore, a hospital consumers satisfaction on Out-Patient department was studied.

Objective: To assess the peri9od of time consumed for receiving services; to assess the level of satisfaction of hospital consumers in each step of Out-Patient department service: and general opinion related to out-patient activates.

Design : A descriptive research.

Setting : Out-Patient department, Srinagarind Hospital Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University

Subjects: 803 patients and relatives were selected by purposive sampling.  The subjects were new and former cases.  The were not limited by sex and age.

Measurement : Interviewed questionnaires with reliability 0.85 were used.  The data were collected by interviewing the subjects in front of Pharmacy unit which is the last step of hospital service.

Results: The mean (+SD) age of participants was 40.8+13.8 years. The most of 19.9~ and 15.1% were checked and treated in medical and general practitioner checked –up room respectively. Average time consumed in mal waiting time more than 5 hours. Average time consumed for the whole process was 2 hours and 51 minutes with the longest waiting time more than 8 hours (2 cases).  The study also found that the dentist check-up room was longest waiting time with 1 hour 45 minites.  The time to wait in medicine check-up room and at general practitioner check-up room was 1 hour 42 minites, and 1 hour 32  minites, respectively.  The result show that the hospital consumers were moderate by satisfied with the services. The highly satisfied service was in Public Relations.  The least satisfied service was cashier room.  However, some hospital consumers were less satisfied to all steps of out-patient education and counselling related to their illness.

Conclusion : Hospital administrator should plan to improve and implement Out-Patient manpower development program to orientated the hospital employees to the various aspects of health service.  It is necessary to provide one-point service and to provide a computer system to cooperate among the clinical departments.  Furthermore, it is highly recommended that the standard of care and tow-way communication should be more clearly brought into use in each step as a measure of the ongoing.

Keywords: Satisfaction, Out-Patient Services, Srinagarind Hospital