Patient Satisfaction towards the Service Quality at Outpatient Department of Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Maldives

Abstract

This cross-sectional descriptive study investigates patients’ satisfaction by assessing their expectations and perceptions of service quality in outpatient department (OPD) of Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), Maldives. A modified SERVQUAL 21-item instrument was used to assess patients’ expectations before and perceptions after receiving the service from OPD. A total of 320 patients were purposively selected. Descriptive Statistics, chi-square test and Multiple logistic regression were used in analysis. The patients’ age ranged from 18 to 65 years. The distribution of male and female were nearly equivalent. Most of them finished secondary level of education and worked as a civil service. The finding showed that 18.4% of respondents were satisfied with the service quality of OPD and 81.6% were dissatisfied with the service quality of OPD of IGMH. In particular, the findings showed a significant service quality gap between customer expectations and perceptions with regard to all dimensions. The chi-square test showed that age and perceived needs were significant association with patient satisfaction. Multiple logistic regression revealed that age and perceived needs were found to be predictors of patient satisfaction. Youth patients were nearly three times more likely to be satisfied than those of adults (Adjusted OR=2.84; 95%CI: 1.517-5.320), and patients with low and moderate perceived needs were also nearly three times more likely to be satisfied than those with high perceived needs (Adjusted OR=2.68; 95%CI: 1.286-5.565). Subsequently, further research on the quality of services provided within the departments and assessment of employee performance will greatly contribute the hospital management in making necessary changes that will lead to improving the quality of services provided by the hospital that is better in meeting with the patients’ expectations.