The satisfaction of clients in accessing high cost health services at Mansa General Hospital

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine how satisfied the client were with high cost services at Mansa General Hospital. The reason for doing the study was that despite the revision of the high cost fees from K80.000 to K120.000 the number of clients accessing the services continued to increase. There was need to find out how satisfied the clients were with the services.Apart from improving the infrastructure of the ward and the comfort of the clients, there is need to improve on the health services that are offered such as close monitoring and observation, ensuring that medication is given on time and attending to clients needs .Clients have in the past complained that some of their needs were not met by the health care providers, despite the ward being renovated. Clients further complained that they had to wait for a long time before they could be attended to before admission and when they came for review.Literature reviewed showed that clients' satisfaction can be determined by their expectations before they visit a health facility and their outcome. Doctor's technical skill is the most critical attribute of primary care quality for both overall satisfaction and recommendation, followed by doctor's interpersonal skill. Staff care and access are associated with improved overall satisfaction but not related to increasing the likelihood of recommending a clinic to relatives and friends. Doctor's technical and interpersonal skills rather than staff care and access can be the essence of quality competition in the primary care market. Providing patient education during the visit on how to prevent or control diseases may also relate to improved patient satisfaction and recommendation. In this study, a descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. This study aimed at quantifying how satisfied the clients accessing high cost services are at Mansa General Hospital. Descriptive Study portrayed an accurate profile of how satisfied the clients accessing high cost services are.

The study was conducted at Mansa General Hospital high cost Ward in Luapula Province.Analysis of data was done manually on data master sheet and calculations were done using a calculator. Data was presented in the form of frequency tables, pie and bar charts. Cross tabulation tables were used to determine the relationship. The study variables were hospital environment, clients needs, and satisfaction with care given.The study showed that 56% spent 0-15 minutes in the waiting room before being attended to. The study showed that 18% of the respondents stated that they waited between 16-30 minutes,12% stated that they waited for 46-60minutes,8% stated that they waited for more than 60minutes and 6% waited for 31-45 minutes before being attended to. This shows that the clients who access high cost services are attended to with the urgency they deserve. While those who waited for more than 60 minute could have been due to shortage of staff.The study showed that 60% of the respondents were satisfied with the services while 40% were moderately satisfied. This is related to the attitude of the nurses and health workers, the care that the clients receive in the ward. 64.7% of the respondents who had secondary education were satisfied with services compared to 50% of the respondents who have college education were satisfied 3.8% of the respondents who had college education were not satisfied with the services. There is need to do more to be able to have all the clients satisfied. The clients who had secondary and college education were able to understand and relate the type of services that they expect from the health care providers.The study recommends that management should ensure that funds are available for purchasing medical-surgical materials needed for provision of care, purchase the portable screens and to provide privacy to all clients.