Patient satisfaction with obstetric ultrasonography

Several investigators studying patient satisfaction have shown that the mode of medical care delivery appears to be more important to the patient than the care itself.

This study investigated patient satisfaction ratings with obstetric ultrasonography based on variables that the operator of the ultrasound equipment can influence.

A total of 100 self-completion questionnaires were delivered to 4 ultrasound centers in Ebonyi State, Nigeria (25 to each center). The questionnaire included questions on patient demographics as well as ordinal scales for patients to rate their satisfaction on various indices. Ninety-two questionnaires (92%) were returned. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were done. Tests were 2 tailed with P<.05 indicating statistical significance.

The results were encouraging. Average satisfaction ratings above 50% were noted for all the indices except for patients' perception of the time between arrival and departure, which was slightly below 50%.

Good staff-patient interaction and proper organizational behavior could improve satisfaction ratings.