Chronic disease patients’ satisfaction with primary health care services provided by the second health cluster in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Having a high quality primary health‑care (PHC) system leads to a more efficient health‑care system, which lower rates of hospitalization and leads to better health outcomes. One of the main criteria for assessing the quality of PHC services is the assessment of patient satisfaction, so the study aims to assess the chronic disease patients’ satisfaction with PHC services provided by centers. Methods: A descriptive cross‑sectional study conducted on patients with chronic diseases who follow‑up in PHC centers within the Second Health Cluster in Riyadh using a questionnaire to assess their satisfaction level. A total 210 patients with different chronic diseases from the seven PHC centers (30 patients from each PHC center) who agreed to participate were included in the study. Results: In the study, 126 (60%) participants were females and 96 (45.7%) participants were in the age group more than 50 years. The survey showed that patients were satisfied with services offered by physicians, nurses, laboratory, and pharmacy with weighted means (3.81, 3.54, 3.59, and 3.88, respectively), while they were not satisfied with waiting time and services offered by receptionists with weighted means (3.22 and 3.27, respectively). The patient satisfaction showed a significant association with gender and level of education (P = 0.003 and 0.005, respectively). Conclusions: The survey showed that patients with chronic diseases were satisfied with services provided by PHC centers of the Second Health Cluster in Riyadh except receptionists’ services, appointments, and waiting time. This survey will guide the policymakers for improving the services provided at the PHC centers.