Patient Satisfaction in a General Surgery Outpatient Clinic at a Multispeciality Ambulatory Care Centre: A Prospective Study

Introduction: Patient satisfaction is a core indicator of quality in ambulatory surgical care. There is only limited evidence on the determinants of patient satisfaction in general surgery outpatient settings. Here, we assessed overall patient satisfaction in a general surgery outpatient clinic and identified independent service- and patient-level predictors of satisfaction. Methods: This was a prospective, cross-sectional study conducted between January 2024 and January 2026 at the general surgery outpatient clinic of Umm Al-Qura University Medical Center, Makkah. Patient satisfaction was measured using a modified Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire-15 (PSQ-15), excluding the financial domain. Groups were compared using non-parametric tests, associations using Spearman’s correlations and multivariable linear regression was used to identify the independent predictors of patient satisfaction. Results: The study included 193 patients, with a median (interquartile range) age of 33 (23–45) years. Overall patient satisfaction was high (median PSQ-15 4.73 [4.00–5.00]). Patient satisfaction scores decreased as waiting times increased (ρ = −0.339, P < 0.001) and the likelihood of recommending the clinic was strongly positively correlated with satisfaction scores (ρ =0.723, P < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, waiting time from registration to clinician ( B = −0.079, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.125 to − 0.033, P = 0.001) and poorer self-rated health ( B = −0.153, 95% CI − 0.220 to − 0.087, P < 0.001) were the predictors of lower patient satisfaction. Conclusions: Patients were highly satisfied with this general surgery outpatient clinic and satisfaction was independently associated with waiting time and self-rated health. Waiting time reduction and awareness of patients’ baseline health status represent targets for improving patient-centered care in ambulatory surgical settings.