A comparison between patients' satisfaction with dental services provided in the Ministry of Health and in private hospitals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Date
2011
DOI
Authors
Linjawi, Maha Sameer
Version
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
Patients' satisfaction provides important information about quality of care, and useful evidence for hospital quality control management. The aim of this study is to assess and compare the levels of patient satisfaction among those who receive dental services in the public and private sector in Saudi Arabia, and to compare the level of dental care satisfaction between Saudi and non-Saudi patients in private dental clinics.
Patient satisfaction was measured using a self-administered survey of patients attending 3 public and 3 private dental clinics in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Inclusion criteria was all Saudi and Non-Saudi patients aged 18 year olds and above, and who are able to read and write the Arabic or English language. A total of 658 patients were enrolled in the study (Public: 349, Private: 309). The study sample's total satisfaction score was high at 123.86 [plus or minus] 17.74 out of a possible score of 160. Private dental clinic patients were statistically significantly more satisfied (total mean satisfaction score 126.96 [plus or minus] 16.02) than public dental clinic patients (120.74 [plus or minus] 19.42, p-value [less than]0.0001). The mean total satisfaction score for Saudi patients was a little higher (136.61 [plus or minus] 16.57) than for Non-Saudi patients (134 [plus or minus] 18.08), with no statistical significant difference between both groups. After controlling for confounders included in our study, we found that patients with higher satisfaction scores were more likely to be treated in private dental clinics, in the younger age group (18-30 years old), had less than high school educational level, with monthly income of 3,000 S.R or less, treated by Saudi dentists, and receiving dental cleaning or prosthodontics treatment.
The study highlighted several shortcoming that need to be improved by policy makers, specifically improvements in both sectors in regards to access to dental care. The public sector needed more improvement than private clinics for some areas of satisfaction (dental care provider availability and location, quality of care provided by the dentist, and environment of the dental clinic). Thus efforts should focus on improving satisfaction with those areas. The MOH should take these areas into consideration in their future planning aimed at improving health care delivery and to achieve better consumers' satisfaction.
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Thesis (MSD) --Boston University, Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, 2011 (Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research).
Includes bibliographic references: leaves 111-116.
Thesis (MSD) --Boston University, Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, 2011 (Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research).
Includes bibliographic references: leaves 111-116.
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This work is protected by copyright. Downloading is restricted to the BU community. If you are the author of this work and would like to make it publicly available, please contact open-help@bu.edu.