The evaluation of patient satisfaction and perceived quality of care in OPD settings in Mirpur AJK: a cross-sectional study

Objective: Patient satisfaction is a reliable indicator of healthcare quality and an outcome measure for physicians. This study sought to assess patient satisfaction at Ahsan's Medical Complex, Mirpur Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Ahsan's Medical Complex, Mirpur Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan from August to October 2024 Patients and Methods: One hundred and seventy patients participating in face-to-face interviews using convenience sampling method. The Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire Short Form (PSQ-18) was used to rate patient satisfaction across seven dimensions. The responses were summarized using descriptive statistics and the data was analyzed using SPSS. Results: One hundred and seventy participants had a variety of demographic features, with the largest age groups being 27-36 years (28%) and 37-46 years (23%), majority were female (71%) and married (91%). The PSQ-18 results showed high overall patient satisfaction, with a 90% rating in the high satisfaction category. Patients expressed high levels of satisfaction with interpersonal manner, communication, time spent with clinicians and accessibility. However, 10% patients reported moderate or low satisfaction levels, citing worries regarding technical quality and economical elements of care. Conclusions: In general, patients were satisfied with the medical care they received, particularly with the interpersonal and communication skills of the staff.