Satisfaction Rate Regarding Health-care Services and Its Determinant Factors in South-West of Iran: A Population-based Study

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate clients’ satisfaction regarding health-care services and its determinant factors in South-West of Iran. METHODS: Totally, 3400 households were randomly selected for this cross-sectional study, carried out in Shiraz, Iran, from December 2013 to March 2014. Data were collected using a checklist that includes insurance status of the household, enrollment in family physician program, and client's satisfaction level with received health services. The level of statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: The mean age of the interviewees was 51.71 (±14.01) years, including 2427 (71.4%) females. 9.4% were insured while 72.3% had registered in family physician program. With respect to the family physician and governmental clinics, most subjects were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with distance, time for admission, time spent at the clinic, privacy, and cost. As for private clinics, specialist clinics, and private hospitals, the studied subjects were more “dissatisfied” with cost but were more satisfied with other items. Living in higher socioeconomic regions (P = 0.001), dissatisfaction with family physician (P < 0.001, odds ratio [OR] = 2.3), scarcity of prescribed medication (P = 0.02, OR = 1.6), medication cost (P < 0.001, OR = 1.9), and existing chronic diseases in the household (P = 0.03, OR = 1.4) had determinant role in dissatisfaction with health system. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the present study demonstrated a high level of satisfaction with the health-care system and family physician in Shiraz, Iran. Moreover, dissatisfaction with family physicians, socioeconomic status, scarcity and cost of drugs, and existing chronic disease(s) were important predictors for dissatisfaction with the health-care system.