Patients Satisfaction and Associated Factors Among Outpatient Department at Wolaita Sodo University Teaching Hospital, Southern Ethiopia: A Cross Sectional Study

Background: Asking patients what they think about the care and treatment they have received is an important step towards improving the quality of care, and to ensuring that local health services are meeting patients’ needs and expectations. Therefore, identifying factors affecting patient satisfaction at local level is a paramount importance to plan and monitor the utilization of health care services. This study aimed to measure level of satisfaction and associated factors among patients receiving health services in outpatient departments at Wolaita Sodo University Teaching Hospital, Southern Ethiopia. Method: Facility based cross sectional study was conducted from February 1 - 28, 2015 on 421 health care service users using systematic random sampling technique. Data was collected using interviewer administrated pre-tested structured questionnaire and entered into EPI Info version 3.5.1 and then exported and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Variables having p < 0.2 at bi-variate analysis were fitted to multivariate analysis. OR, P-value and 95% CI were computed to show the association of variables (p < 0.05). Result: Among the total sample size (n = 421) four hundred fifteen adult patients were exit interviewed, giving a response rate of 98.6%, of which 211 (50.8) were medicine clinic. Overall patient satisfaction with the health care service provided at OPD clinics of the hospital was 54.2% at 95% CI (49.4% - 59%).The respondents who perceived medium empathy by the provider were found to be more satisfied as compared those who were perceived low empathy (AOR : 2.39(1.32-4.33). Moreover, respondents who reported that the waiting area was clean were more satisfied as compared to those who reported waiting area not clean (AOR: 2.53(1.44-4.47). In addition, respondents waited less than or equal to 30 minutes in waiting area preceding consultation were to be more satisfied than those who were waited 60 minutes and above (AOR: 3.16(1.37-7.25).Conclusion: The overall satisfaction of outpatient health care services provided at Wolaita Sodo University Teaching Hospital was low. Hospital managements and service providers should give attention to reduce waiting time, ensure good interactions with patients, improve drug availability and maintain privacy of patients in order to improve the level of satisfaction of patients.