A study assessing patient satisfaction in a tertiary care hospital in India: the changing healthcare scenario

The healthcare service scenario in India is expected to evolve into a more developed stage. More emphasis has been given on patient satisfaction as this is an important consideration for the assessment of the hospital services. The concept of patient satisfaction is also rapidly changing and the hospitals are using variety of techniques to improve patient care and organizational efficiency. Patient satisfaction questionnaire is a validated instrument to assess the level of the satisfaction of adult patients. The questionnaire was administered on those patients who were admitted in hospital for at least three days. In our study 88% patients were satisfied with treatment and medical care they had received. About 86% patients found that the hospital services were excellent. However, it is felt that patient values and culture should be explored for further improving patient doctor communication. There is hence a scope for improvement in meeting patient's needs and preferences and rendering hospital services. This can be achieved by some feedback system which could be available to the patients and later worked upon by the management, to improve the patient care by bridging the gap between senior management and patients.