Customer Satisfaction with Alternative Medical Services: A Case Study of Saohai Hospital, Saraburi Province

Abstract

Rationale and Objective: Although there is plenty of empirical evidence of alternative medical
services at Saohai Chaloem Phra Kiat Hospital in Saraburi province, no study has been done
on patient satisfaction with such services, particularly alternative medicine. So this survey research was undertaken to investigate the patient satisfaction and compare the levels of patient satisfaction with alternative medical services among clients. Methodology: The participants in this study were 400 purposively selected patients attending alternative medical services at Saohai Hospital. Data were collected using a questionnaire and then analyzed to determine frequency, percentage, average, and standard deviation; and ttest, F-test, and ANOVA analyses were performed to compare means using Fisher’s Least Significant Difference method. Results: Most of the participants were female, aged 46-55 years, Buddhists, and civil servants or state-enterprise employees with a bachelor’s degree or equivalent background. They had an average monthly income of over 15,000 baht, had used the services more than three times and mostly paid for their own expenses. The overall satisfaction with six service aspects was high; the satisfaction was highest with the premises, but lowest with the service fees. And their satisfaction levels were significantly associated with gender, age, marital status, occupation, educational level, monthly income, service access and the rights to health service (p = 0.05). Discussion and Conclusion: The clients’ educational background and health-care eligibility are associated with their satisfaction with alternative medical services at Saohai Hospital. So in developing such services to meet clients’ satisfaction and loyalty, their demographic characteristics have to be considered first.