IMPROVING PATIENT SATISFACTION IN LABORATORY DEPARTMENT IN GOHALLA PRIMARY HOSPITAL, NORTHWEST OF ETHIOPIA, MAY 2019

Abstract

Abstract Satisfaction is the extent to which the clients feel their needs are fulfilled and their expectations are being met by the service provider. Furthermore, understanding the level of client satisfaction .and identifying the factors hindering client satisfaction are the most important base lines to improve the quality of service being delivered. In Gohalla Primary Hospital Laboratory Department client satisfaction is one of the most seriousproblems. The base line assessment of client Satisfaction of Gohalla Hospital was 55.3% which is Low when compared with the National standard of level of Satisfaction which is 90%.In order to improve the satisfaction level, the Hospital Management was striving to identify the root causes of the problem. Objective: To improve patient satisfaction of Laboratory services of Gohalla primary Hospital by the end of May 2019. Methods: - Facility based Pre post intervention was conducted in Gohalla Primary Hospital from January 2019 to May 2019. Sampling procedure:-Considering 95% CI and 5% margin of error and 10% non-response rate the final sample size was found to be 405. Systematic Random sampling technique had been used to select the samples of this study in 2019.EPI INFOversion7.2statistical software and SPSS windows version 20 were planned to use. Results:-A total of 405 patients were included in the study, resulting in a response rate of 405(100%).From the overall respondents 79.3 %( 322) of patients were satisfied with the service delivery provided from Laboratory department. The objective of the Hospital Management was to improve the base line assessment of client satisfaction at the Laboratory Service (55.3%) to 90%. Conclusion and recommendations:-The overall patient satisfaction rate with the service delivered from Laboratory Department was 79.3% which is greater than the base line assessment of the Hospital(55.3%)but 97(24%) of the respondents were dissatisfied with the information given before specimen collection outside the Laboratory room and this result was the greatest dissatisfying condition.Therefore,Amhara Regional Health Bureau , centralGondarZone health department and Gohalla Primary Hospital are expected to set targets to solve conditions thatwere dissatisfying patients. Keywords: Patient satisfaction, Laboratory services, Gohalla Primary Hospital,Ethiopia.