Patients’ Assessment of Medical Services Provided in Three Selected Chemotherapy Departments at Hospitals of Different Referral Level in Lodz Voivodeship

Abstract Introduction Growing competition in the field of medical services impels health centres to strive for better quality of care and greater satisfaction of patients. Providing high quality care and ensuring well-being of patients should always be a priority for health care institutions. Objectives The aim of the study was to present and compare patients’ opinions on medical care provided and to determine the degree of their satisfaction as measured in three selected chemotherapy departments in hospitals of different referral level in Lodz voivodeship. Material and methods The study was conducted among 450 patients hospitalized in three selected chemotherapy departments in hospitals of different referral level in Lodz voivodeship in the second half of 2018. The research tool used was a self-designed questionnaire composed of 50 questions, divided into issue-related sections such as first contact with, and organization of, a given centre, treatment and care, and information on the patient. Results It was established that the possibility to get acquainted with hospital regulations and Patients’ Rights Charter, adherence to timelines of diagnostic procedures and chemotherapy medication, access to pastoral care and psychological counselling, translates into patients’ comfort and satisfaction, the appropriately measured mean level of which proved significantly different for each of the studied medical centres. Consequently, patients’ opinions on health services provided in the selected chemotherapy departments of different referral levels varied. Conclusions Considering the empirical distribution of a synthesized SAT variable, especially its median computed for random patient samples from the compared medical centres, it can be concluded that best satisfied with services and treatment were patients of the NU-MED Diagnostic and Oncology Centre in Tomaszow Mazowiecki. The worst rated in this respect was the Voivodeship Copernicus Multi-Specialist Oncology and Traumatology Centre in Lodz.