Background: In a hospital setting, patient satisfaction with medical services is a key determinant of clinical efficacy and service quality. There is little data on patient satisfaction with ophthalmic services in Tanzania, which emphasizes the need for focused enhancements in the provision of eye care. Objective: To evaluate the levels of satisfaction with eye care services and the factors associated with satisfaction among individuals attending outpatient clinics at KCMC from August 2023 to July 2024. Methodology: This was a hospital-based analytical cross-sectional study, conducted at KCMC hospital involving 385 individuals from August 2023 to July 2024.The outcome was satisfaction with eye services. A binary logistic regression model was employed to identify independent significant factors influencing satisfaction, with corresponding odds ratios (OR) and significance was declared at p-value of < 0.05. Data were managed and analysed using SPSS 24 Results: Overall, patient satisfaction with eye care services was high at 91%. Among specific eye conditions, diabetic retinopathy and conjunctivitis had the highest satisfaction rates of services provided at 94% and 92%, respectively. Staff dressings (OR:7.19; 95% CI: 3.04 - 17.05), communication (OR: 2.47; 95% CI: 1.36-4.49), consultation time (OR: 4.47; 95% CI: 2.05-9.71), patient confidentiality (OR: 2.79; 95% CI:1.50-5.17), affordability of services (OR:2.15; 95% CI: 1.08-4.24), and staff attitudes( OR: 2.64; 95% CI:1.28-5.44) were all independent significant factors associated with satisfaction of eye services. Conclusion: The study found high patient satisfaction with eye care services at KCMC, particularly for diabetic retinopathy, conjunctivitis, and glaucoma, driven by clinical quality and strong interpersonal factors such as professional staff, clear communication, adequate consultation time, confidentiality, affordability and attitudes highlight the importance of both clinical competence and interpersonal aspects in enhancing patient experiences within ophthalmic care.
Yongolo et al. (Wed,) studied this question.