Satisfaction among patients seeking services at an urban health training center during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Delhi, India

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed challenges to the provision of routine health services. As we continue providing non-COVID services, it is essential that the community perceives them to be satisfactory and safe to ensure optimum uptake. The objective of the study was to determine the satisfaction and perceived safety among patients availing services at an urban health training center (UHTC) during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Delhi. METHODS: UHTC, Aliganj caters to a population of over 6000, in an urbanized village of South Delhi. A pre-designed, semi-structured questionnaire incorporating the North Indian OPD Satisfaction Scale along with questions on sociodemographic details and perception of safety was used. Systematic random sampling was used to select the patients from the study population which included those above 18 years attending UHTC from November–December 2020. Exit interviews were done by a trained independent interviewer to reduce bias. Data were analyzed in SPSS using Chi-square and Fisher’s Exact tests. RESULTS: Out of 218 patients, 161 (73.7%) were satisfied, 174 (79.8%) felt safe to visit UHTC during the pandemic and 143 (65.6%) felt both satisfied and safe. Patients were dissatisfied with screening for COVID-19 (29.5%), amenities (47.1%), cleanliness (51.8%), and waiting and registration (62.9%). CONCLUSION: The majority of patients were satisfied and found the UHTC services safe. A large proportion of patients found location, doctor–patient interaction, and COVID-appropriate behavior at the center to be satisfactory, but there was scope to improve waiting and registration, cleanliness, and effectiveness of screening for COVID.