Assessing Experience and Perception of Patients about OPD Services

Background: Healthcare is constantly changing for this reason, healthcare administrators and other players in this scenario need dynamic dimensions intended to get reports about patients’ experiences and perceptions about the services they provide at the Outpatient department. This is because patients define the satisfactions experienced at this section of the hospital to be the overall output of the hospital. Discontent of services received at this facility is a judgment on the quality of care provided by the hospital. Aim: The aim of this study is to assess experience and perception of patients about OPD Services. Methods: The study employed a quantitative cross sectional descriptive method. Data was collected by a structured questionnaire at the outpatient department of Tamale Teaching Hospital Ghana. A total of 100 patients were included in the study. Results: The study had a response rate of 100% and with the mean age of respondents of (Mean±SD) 30.57 ±10.11. More than half of respondents (n = 68, 68%) were females and 51% had tertiary education. The minimum and maximum time respondents had to wait to be examined by a Doctor was between ≤ 30 and > 300 minutes respectively. Majority (61%) of the patients had good satisfaction with nurses as they treated patients’ with respect and good lighting at the hospital (66%). There was however, a poor satisfaction in relation to doctor services (59%), registration services, pharmacy services, inadequate physical examination rooms and chairs at waiting area, unclean toilet facility, expenses on laboratory test(70%, highest dissatisfaction), and poor ventilation of facility. Conclusion: The study findings suggested that, maximum number of respondents had very good experience in relation to the nurses’ respectful treatment for patients, the lighting system of the hospital and cleanliness of the environment. The following measures were recommended by respondents for policy-makers and hospital administrators to improve the patient satisfaction and quality of care to gain and maintain market share and clients good experience. These included, reducing the waiting time at the OPD consultation, providing enough chairs, and good communication and friendliness of the OPD registration officers.