Assessment of Patient Satisfaction in a Military and Public Hospital: A Comparative Study

Background: In recent times, the assessment of patient satisfaction has become an essential tool for measuring the effectiveness of healthcare delivery. However, not a lot of work has been done in Pakistan, even less so in comparing it across different hospital systems in the country. This research aims to fill that gap and be the first to compare satisfaction levels in a military and public hospital. Objective: To assess patient satisfaction in different hospital systems of Pakistan and compare their outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken between October 2019 and April 2020 among 376 patients; 193 from Combined Military Hospital, Lahore (CMH) and 183 from Jinnah Hospital, Lahore. The questionnaire used for the study was the Short-Form Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire - 18, and convenience sampling was used to select participants. Data was entered and analysed on Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results: The majority of participants were male (71.2%), entitled to free healthcare (58.4%), and employed (59.7%). It was found that CMH Lahore scored better in all seven domains of patient satisfaction (p<0.03 individually), with significant differences in six: general satisfaction, interpersonal manner, communication, financial aspects, time spent with the doctors, and accessibility and convenience. Overall, waiting times and entitlement to free healthcare were established to be major determinants of satisfaction, with CMH having shorter waiting times and providing free treatment to a larger number of patients. The mode waiting time in CMH was 1 - 15 minutes (44.9%) as compared to 15 - 30 minutes (50.9%) in Jinnah Hospital. Additionally, 78.2% of patients were entitled to free healthcare in CMH, compared to 35.5% in Jinnah Hospital. Conclusion: Patient satisfaction was found to be significantly better in CMH in six out of seven domains studied. Further work needs to be done in its assessment, as well as in its role in healthcare policies.