Measuring patient satisfaction at public health facilities in Madhya Pradesh: a research study under quality assurance project

Agency : Directorate of Health Services, Government of Madhya Pradesh

The objective of the study was to measure patient satisfaction at public health facilities in the State for improving the quality of health care services. In all, eight districts were selected, one from each division of Madhya Pradesh. From each district, a sample of public health institutions was selected to measure the patient satisfaction. In total, 1121 patients were interviewed including 561 outdoor patients, 280 indoor patients and 280 patients utilized investigative facilities. In-depth interviews of hospital administrators and service providers were also conducted. A detailed report has been submitted to the Government of Madhya Pradesh to use the study findings in improving the quality of service at public health facilities.

The study showed that quality of health services in public hospitals was poor and the level of patient's satisfaction was also low mainly because of poor public health infrastructure, lack of skilled human resources, weak communication among staff as well as with patients. The patients were also not much satisfied with the in-door and investigation/diagnostic services provided at the public health institutions. The major recommendations of the study to improve patients' satisfaction at public health facilities were as follows:

  • Improving the infrastructure including building and other basic amenities
  • Improving skilled manpower in the public health facilities
  • Proper equipment and furniture in the health facilities in adequate number
  • Improving the quality of OPD, IPD and investigating services
  • Capacity building of MOIC/hospital superintendents
  • BCC training to the medical and para-medical staff
  • Reducing the work load from technical and nursing staff
  • Internal quality measurement mechanism for taking care of the hospital performance and patient satisfaction at regular intervals.

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