Level of satisfaction and associated factors among patients attending outpatient departments of south Wollo health facilities, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Patient satisfaction is a key metric for determining how efficient healthcare is delivered. When patients visit health care facilities, they express a clear desire for high-quality services. Inadequately meeting their anticipated needs and expectations may lead to disappointment. This study sought to investigate the level of satisfaction expressed by participants regarding services provided by outpatient departments of selected health facilities in the south Wollo zone of Ethiopia and associated predictors. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study with a total sample of 540 patients was conducted from May 13 to 25, 2019. A multistage sampling technique was used to select participants. Data were collected an interviewer-administered structured validated questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted with SPSS version 20 to identify predictor variables, applying bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine variables that most significantly predicted the outcome variable of the level of patient-satisfaction at 5% level of significance and 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: There were 537 participants in the study consisting of males (50.6%) and females (49.4%). An estimated 35.6% of respondents were between the ages of 28 and 37 years. The proportion of respondents high educational attainment was 179 (33.3%), and 155 (28.9%) of respondents reported having receive free health service of charge. CONCLUSION: The study’s results revealed that overall client satisfaction was low. Furthermore, the politeness of health service providers, the convenience of the environment for asking questions, and the availability of all prescription drugs were found to have a significant relationship with level of satisfaction with the health center. Health managers and service providers should come up with creative ways to improve health workers’ caring behavior, protect patients’ privacy, and increase patient satisfaction by making all necessary drugs available.