Comparison of patient satisfaction toward healthcare performance between government hospitals and private hospitals

Background: Patient satisfaction is a direct measurement of healthcare quality and has gained momentum during the last three decades. The current study aimed to assess and compare patient satisfaction between government and private hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methodology: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted using a pre-tested and validated questionnaire. An Arabic version of National Health Service (NHS) and Quality Hospital Solutions (QHS) was used to collect the responses from the patients. The inclusion criteria included patients treated at any hospital, government or private, and adult patients (above 18 years old). Exclusion criteria included critically ill patients (CCU and ICU patients) and patients who cannot read and write. Satisfaction scores in various subdomains related to the hospital services were measured and were subjected to statistical analysis using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences ver.23 using appropriate tests of significance. Results: The overall satisfaction scores showed that there was no significant difference between government and private hospitals. Female patients were more satisfied than male patients. Patients’ satisfaction regarding attitude, behavior, and communication of doctors and auxiliary staff were significantly better in private hospitals than government hospitals. Conclusion: The satisfaction level of private hospital patients showed better scores in certain domains than government hospitals. Hospitals must enact quality improvement measures concerning administration and organization to enhance the quality of health services.