Emergency Department Patient Satisfaction Assessment using Modified Servqual Model; a Cross-sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: The quality of medical services and attention paid to patients in medical centers have been concerning for healthcare providers. OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to identify factors affecting patient satisfaction with medical service in the emergency department (ED). METHOD: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in spring 2016 in Imam Khomeini Hospital, Jiroft, Iran. Patients aged more than 18 years presenting to the ED with a minimum stay of 24 hours were included. Unwillingness to take part, incomplete questionnaires, or unavailability for an interview were considered the exclusion criteria. Data were collected using a 24-item researcher-made questionnaire based on Servqual quality measuring tool with five components of tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. RESULTS: The present study recruited 373 patients with the mean age of 41.7±21.8 years (minimum 18 and maximum 79 years), of whom, 67.1% were men. Mean scores indicate the level of patient satisfaction with the hospital service ranging from relatively satisfied to totally satisfied. The components ranking in improving patient satisfaction were as follows: tangibles 4.59, assurance 2.77, reliability 2.74, responsiveness 2.57, and empathy 2.33. CONCLUSION: Of the components assessing the patient satisfaction, tangibles were the most effective component and empathy was the least effective one.