Patients’ Satisfaction and Associated Factors among Private Wing Patients at Bahirdar Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital, North West Ethiopia

Background: Patient satisfaction has become well established as an important consideration in health care provision and an integral component of measuring quality health service. However, health care outcomes still have been defined by professionals and have largely reflected a clinical perspective, particularly in low income countries including Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess patients’ satisfaction and associated factors among adult private wing patients at Bahirdar Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital, Amhara National Regional State, North West Ethiopia. Methods: Institutional based quantitative cross sectional study was conducted from March 12 to April 30, 2014 on 384 service users using systematic random sampling technique. Data were collected by using “structured interviewer administered questionnaire’, entered using EPI INFO version 3.5.3, and analyzed by SPSS for windows version 20.0. Variables having p < 0.2 at bi – variable analysis were fitted to multi variable analysis, OR, P-value and 95% CI were computed to show the association of variables. Result: From the total sample size (n = 422), three hundred eighty four patients were interviewed, of which 70.3% were outpatients. The results of the study showed that overall patient satisfaction with the health services rendered at the private wing of the hospital was 57.8% at 95% CI (52.8%-63.1%) computed from satisfaction measuring items. Among measuring items, satisfaction was reported to be highest (93.2%) to the cleanliness of the rooms, and least for availability of signs and directions to ease the way in the private wing (25%) to the scale satisfied. Being outpatient reduces satisfaction by 59% as compared with inpatients (AOR: 0.411(0.243-0.696). Conclusion and recommendation: Overall private wing patient satisfaction (57.8%) at 95% CI (52.8%-63.1%) is lower as compared with recent studies in public hospitals of Ethiopia. Age, occupation and patient department are significantly associated with patient satisfaction. The hospital need to strengthen efforts to deliver integrated quality services to improve patient satisfaction at the private wing.