Assessing overall patient satisfaction in inflammatory bowel disease using structural equation modeling.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Experience Research
• Structural Equation Modeling

Background:

• Patient satisfaction is crucial for healthcare quality evaluation.
• Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is a robust analytical technique for assessing satisfaction.
• Understanding healthcare satisfaction drivers for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure the overall satisfaction of IBD patients with healthcare services in Portugal.
• To identify the key determinants influencing IBD patient satisfaction using SEM.
• To provide a framework for improving IBD patient care.

Main Methods:

• A patient satisfaction model was developed, incorporating dimensions like Image, Expectations, Facilities, Staff, Care Quality, and Loyalty.
• A survey was conducted with 498 IBD patients (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) in Portugal.
• Partial Least Squares SEM (XLSTAT-PLSPM) was employed to estimate the model.

Main Results:

• The SEM model substantially explained overall patient satisfaction (R=0.82).
• The mean overall satisfaction index was 74.4 out of 100.
• Image (β=0.26), Outpatient care (β=0.23), and Overall quality (β=0.21) were the primary determinants of satisfaction. Facilities and Inpatient care significantly impacted satisfaction but had lower mean scores.

Conclusions:

• SEM effectively evaluates IBD patient satisfaction.
• IBD patient satisfaction with Portuguese healthcare is generally good.
• Improving Outpatient care, Facilities, and Inpatient care is recommended to enhance overall patient satisfaction.