Patient Satisfaction in Primary Healthcare Centers: A Cross-Sectional Study in the Peruvian Amazon.

Abstract

Objective: Evaluating user satisfaction and its associated factors in two primary healthcare centers in Ucayali, Peru.

Methods: The study was cross-sectional analytical study conducted in April 2025 among patients who received care at two primary healthcare centers located in Ucayali, Peru. To assess their satisfaction with the care received, we used the Ambulatory Medical Consultation Satisfaction Scale (ESCOMA). To identify the factors associated with the ESCOMA satisfaction score, we used linear regression models.

Results: A total of 465 patients were included; 66.5% of those surveyed were women, and the median age was 40 years (IQR 31-52). Of these, 74.8% lived in the same city as the healthcare center. The median ESCOMA score was 7 points (range 6.17-8.28). Medical care received the highest dimensional score (mean: 7.94 ± 1.5), while facility infrastructure recorded the lowest (mean: 6.37 ± 1.9). The questions with the highest and lowest scores were "How would you rate this facility regarding the treatment by medical staff?" (mean: 8.33, SD ± 1.7) and "How would you rate this facility regarding the equipment?" (mean: 5.71, SD ± 2.7), respectively. Age ⩾ 47 years (β = .34; 95% CI: 0.02-0.67) was the main factor associated with a higher ESCOMA satisfaction score; on the other hand, patients who lived 2 hours from the health center had lower satisfaction (β = -.68; 95% CI: -1.09 to -0.28).

Conclusion: User satisfaction with primary healthcare centers in Ucayali is favorable regarding medical care and staff treatment. However, perception is significantly lower concerning infrastructure and equipment availability. As the distance from homes to the health centers increases, satisfaction with medical care decreases. These findings highlight the need to improve physical conditions and equipment to optimize the quality of care in these institutions.