The Level of Patient Satisfaction in Emergency Departments of Public Sector Tertiary Care Hospitals, Faisalabad

Abstract

Introduction: The patient satisfaction is a feeling which affects the patient’s experience in the hospitals. The services which they are provided with in the emergency departments also known as ED, need to be assessed on certain parameters in order to recognize the standard of the provided health care services in the emergency, and the meticulous assessment of the areas which require improvement. Objective: To determine the outcome of patients who were satisfied by the emergency services provided at the public sector tertiary care hospitals of Faisalabad to evaluate the parameters from which the patients turned out to be unsatisfied, in order to improve the quality of care. Study Design: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. Setting: It was carried out in the Emergency departments of tertiary care hospitals in Public sectors, Faisalabad. Duration of study: The study was carried out within time frame of three (03) months (March to May 2017). Sample Size: A real time survey was conducted on approximately 4000 patients. Data collection procedure: The patients visiting the ED in tertiary care hospitals were interviewed regarding their experience, their time of arrival, the medical personnel who received them and their satisfaction level with the provided treatment and care. Results: The most consistently observed finding associated with higher levels of satisfaction, was the patient-oriented care provided by doctors, nurses and paramedic staff. Doctors and nurses who spent more time with the patient, had better communication skills, showed more empathy and treated the patients within 5 minutes of arrival in the emergency resulted in more patient satisfaction. On the basis of these characteristics, the calculated number of satisfied patients turned out to be 75%. However, 25% of the patients responded that they would not prefer emergency departments of public sector tertiary care hospitals of Faisalabad for future visits Conclusion: The evaluation of patient satisfaction level provided a precise estimation of the health care services in the Emergency departments which were up to the mark and which required improvement in order to serve the patients well in future.