The Satisfaction Level of Patients Seeking Dental Care in the Slovak Republic: A Cross-sectional Questionnaire Study (Original paper)

Patient satisfaction with the health care provided by doctors is of great significance. Thus, it is important to identify weaknesses in systems to aid improvement through the patient's eyes. This may be done by utilizing the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire Short Form (PSQ-18), a concise, validated tool that may be applied to various settings, as well as comparing interventions. Today, we are at an age where health care is scrutinized, not only for the quality of that which we provide but also the satisfaction of those who receive it. Many health care organizations or departments have come under fire due to low patient satisfaction, and this highlights that holistic patient care is integral. To assess patient satisfaction, there are a variety of questionnaires that may be utilized to identify areas of improvement. However, one such questionnaire ‘the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire Short Form (PSQ-18)’ (1) has been validated for use in different settings. This was developed through rigorous research and abbreviated from much larger questionnaires (2, 3), maintaining internal consistency and reliability (1). The team behind this Likert scale questionnaire proposed seven dimensions of patient satisfaction directed toward their doctors. These are general satisfaction, technical quality, interpersonal manner, communication, financial aspects, time spent with doctor, and accessibility and convenience. Each domain is tested through different related questions, which is of substantial benefit when one aims to identify a particular area to improve on. Certainly, general satisfaction has strong correlation with the other domains and thus it is important to improve in all. However, the versatility of a questionnaire allows questions to be tailored to specific domains; one may consider only asking those questions related to communication, to determine whether information has been relayed from physician to patient appropriately and understood well. We also propose that the PSQ-18 may be used to compare different interventions (such as open and laparoscopic hernia repair), let alone in medical and surgical departments. It has certainly been adapted for use in primary care and the outpatients department (4, 5). The PSQ-18 is a valid, reproducible questionnaire with great potential for use in different settings not to mention well received by patients due to its brevity.

Context: Patient satisfaction with psychiatric services is an important construct, which influences multiple areas including treatment adherance and outcome. There is paucity of studies from India in this area. Aims: To measure satisfaction of psychiatric outpatients of Mental Health Institute, Cuttack, and to assess the relationship between demographic and clinical variables with different domains of patient satisfaction. Settings and Design: In a cross-sectional study, patients of age 18-60 years receiving treatment for at least six months from outpatient department of Mental Health Institute, SCB Medical College, Cuttack, were assessed. Materials and Methods: Participants (n=60) were selected randomly. Satisfaction was assessed by Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire–18 (PSQ-18) and the diagnoses were based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV-TR. Severity of psychiatric disorder was measured using Clinical Global Impression-severity scale. The functioning level was assessed by Global Assessment of Functioning. Statistical Analysis: Continuous variables compared using independent t-test or analysis of variance. Results: Diagnostic break-up of the patients included anxiety disorder (36.6%), major depressive disorder (30.0%), bipolar disorder (16.6%), and schizophrenia (16.6%). Greatest level of satisfaction was noted in interpersonal aspects (71.4%) and time spent with doctors (62.4%). General satisfaction level was a little over 50% (57%). Differences between composite scores of PSQ-18 in the diagnostic categories were statistically significant; patients with depression had the highest score followed by those with anxiety disorder, bipolar, and the least was with schizophrenia patients. There was variability among the demographic and clinical groups regarding the various subscale score of PSQ-18. Conclusions: Satisfaction of psychiatric outpatients was observed to be different in various clinical and demographic groups and across many domains of satisfaction.

Predictors of satisfaction with ambulatory care and compliance in 267 older and 581 younger patients were determined. Each patient rated a 45-item satisfaction-with-care-scale. Race, SES, marital status, distance from clinic, severity of illness (as measured by physician ratings, self-health assessment, number of medications, number of diagnoses, and number of clinic visits and hospitalizations in the prior year), and physician expectations of improvement were entered as predictors into stepwise multiple regression analyses for the elderly and the young. Predictors of better satisfaction in the young were less severe conditions, being nearer to the clinic and having fewer prior clinic visits over the year. In the elderly, having fewer visits to the clinic, more expectation of improvement by the physician and less severe conditions were associated with better satisfaction. Severity and clinic visits were predictors in each age group. The young, however, were also influenced by distance from the clinic. The elderly were influenced separately by the physician's prognosis. Thus, when the more impaired elderly are seen frequently without expecting a benefit, their satisfaction with care is poor. Further, satisfaction with care was correlated significantly with compliance in the elderly but not in the young. Findings suggest that improving satisfaction with care might also improve rates of compliance with the medical regimen in older patients.