Factors affecting client's satisfaction at dental out patient clinic at Alexandria Dental Research Center

Abstract

In recent years health care organizations 'Policymakers ,advocacy groups, individual, consumers have become increasingly concerned about the quality of health care.One result of this concern is the widespread use of Patient satisfaction measures as indicators ofhealth care quality (1). ln some organizations, patient satisfaction survey results are used in determining provider compensation <2>.

Quality of health care can be operationalized in different ways. During the last decade, health care managers, politicians, and other decision makers have emphasized the importance of the patient perspective as an indicator of quality of health care. (J) Donabedian (1988) has provided a model based on structure, process, and outcome for evaluating the quality of health care. Structure refers to the attributes of organizations delivering care and the conditions under which care is provided, process relates to the professional activities associated with providing care, and outcome denotes the effects of the care. It is note -worthy that outcome includes health status, improvements in knowledge, changes in behavior, and patient satisfaction with care. Donabedian (I988) regards satisfaction/dissatisfaction as a 'patient's judgment on the quality of care in all its aspects, but particularly as concerns the interpersonal process. Evaluation is regarded as the most important dimension <4>. The assessment and monitoring of patient/client satisfaction provides organizational

members with valuable feedback about their organization's

performance. This feedback, in tum, provides managers and other organizational stakeholders with information that has the potential for helping them retain current customers as well as develop new customers. Client satisfaction is of fundamental importance as a measure of quality of care

because it gives information on the provider's success at meeting those client values and expectation which are matters on which the client is ultimate authority <5>. Quality assurance focuses on client's response to performance that is to say client satisfaction with services and I attributes of service that promote satisfaction are newly stressed. The emphasis on client

satisfaction is consistent with the trend toward holding health professiomils accountable to their clients <6>.