Patient satisfaction with the quality of care in a primary health care setting in Botswana

Abstract

Background: Primary health care involves a sustained partnership between patients and providers that addresses the majority of a population’s health needs over time. Patients’ perception of satisfaction is an aspect of healthcare quality that is being increasingly recognised for its importance. The objective of this study was to investigate the factors contributing to patients’ satisfaction with and their rating of the quality of care in Extension II Clinic in Gaborone, Botswana.
Method: This was a cross-sectional study in which 360 systematically selected participants completed five-point Likert scale self-administered questionnaires.
Results: Overall, participants were quite satisfied (mean score = 3.75) with the services provided by the different service providers. The participants indicated that overall, the quality of care of the health care facility was good (mean score = 3.45). The pharmacy received the highest satisfaction level with a mean rating of 4.1. Thirty-eight per cent of the participants rated the services provided by the doctors as best despite giving the highest quality ratings with a mean of 3.9 to the pharmacy compared to mean ratings of 3.4 for the doctors. The participants’ greatest displeasure was with the time spent at the facility, as 63.9% of them were displeased with this aspect. A total of 36.9% was most pleased with information given to them as a factor of importance.
Conclusion: The participants were quite satisfied with the services provided as well as the quality of care provided by the different service providers of the health care facility. There is, however, a need for interventions in terms of time spent at the facility, which would promote good customer-focused service delivery.

Keywords: factors; satisfaction; quality of care; primary health care; Botswana; patients