Patients' satisfaction with primary healthcare (PHC) services at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Background: Patients' satisfaction is a significant indicator for healthcare quality and has been linked to better patient-provider relationship, better treatment compliance, and thus better overall healthcare outcome. Moreover, it allows healthcare leaders to recognize the unmet needs of patients and spot areas which require further improvement to make necessary changes. This study aims to measure the level of patients' satisfaction with primary health care (PHC) clinics at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as well as to identify factors that influence it.

Methodology: This is a cross-sectional observational study conducted at four major PHC clinics at KAMC. A total of 386 participants completed a modified prevalidated self-administered questionnaire. Forward-backward translation was performed to assess translation accuracy. A pilot study was performed on 20 participants before the official distribution of the questionnaire. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 23.0. Associations between patients' characteristics and satisfaction was assessed using the Chi-square test of proportion. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Most of the respondents gave a positive rating when it comes to the time required to find an appointment (78.5%). In addition, the majority positively rated their consultation with the primary care doctor. For supportive services, higher satisfaction was observed for radiology and pharmacy services compared to laboratory services. Among patients who experienced a virtual consultation, 77.4% positively rated their experience. Gender, age, area of residence, having chronic conditions, as well as the number of PHC visits per year were found to be significantly associated with the overall satisfaction.

Conclusion: Satisfaction with PHC centers at KAMC is excellent when it comes to accessibility, consultation experience, and overall service. Satisfaction with laboratory wait time and staff adequacy was lower compared to other supportive services which indicates a need for further improvement in this area.