Factors associated with community-based health insurance beneficiaries’ satisfaction with laboratory services in public hospitals of Arsi Zone, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Client satisfaction is a key indicator to assess the quality of healthcare service and health outcomes. To expand the coverage of the Community-based Health Insurance (CBHI) program, it is essential to measure whether the members were satisfied with the healthcare services they received. However, empirical evidence on CBHI beneficiaries' satisfaction with laboratory services provided by contracted health facilities in the study area remains limited. Therefore, we assessed factors associated with the CBHI beneficiaries' satisfaction with laboratory service in public hospitals in the Arsi zone, Ethiopia. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study at Public hospitals in Arsi Zone from January 1, 2024, to February 28, 2024. The study included 626 CBHI beneficiaries' selected using a systematic random sampling technique. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 software. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to analyze factors associated with the CBHI beneficiaries' satisfaction with laboratory services. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% Confidence Interval was employed to identify variables associated with the CBHI beneficiaries' satisfaction with laboratory service. RESULTS: The magnitude of the CBHI beneficiaries' satisfaction with laboratory services was 66.0%(95%CI: 62.2%- 69.6%). Age 31-45 years (AOR = 3.94, 95% CI: 2.46-6.33), age >45 years (AOR = 4.34, 95% CI: 2.23-8.44), Primary education (AOR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.13-2.83), secondary and above education (AOR = 2.19, 95% CI: 1.25-3.83), perceived healthcare providers' attitude towards the CBHI beneficiaries (AOR = 8.84, 95% CI = 5.04-14.14), waiting time < 30 min to get services (AOR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.43-3.29), presence of all requested laboratory services (AOR = 2.62, 95% CI = 1.64-4.19) and a single needle stick attempts during phlebotomy procedure (AOR = 2.78, 95% CI = 1.75-4.43) were significantly associated with CBHI beneficiaries' satisfaction with laboratory services. CONCLUSION: The study revealed that two-thirds of the CBHI beneficiaries were satisfied with laboratory services. Laboratory personnel's attitudes towards the CBHI beneficiaries, waiting time, availability of laboratory tests, and number of needle stick attempts were significantly associated with satisfaction with laboratory services. Therefore, health facility leaders and laboratory heads should work on strengthening the hospital supply chain management and provide continuous capacity-building training for laboratory staff on proper phlebotomy procedures to enhance patient satisfaction.