Patients` Satisfaction with the Dental Services among the Adult Patients Visiting a Teaching Dental Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal

Abstract

Introduction: Patient satisfaction is seen as an essential element in the assessment of the quality of healthcare. Patient/Client satisfaction is an attitude – a person’s general orientation towards a total experience of health care. As the healthcare industry shifts towards a consumer-oriented approach in the delivery of care, feedback from patients/clients can influence the whole quality improvement agenda and provide an opportunity for organizational learning and development. This study aimed to assess patient satisfaction with dental services among adult patients visiting a teaching dental hospital in Kathmandu.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 125 patients at the College of Dental Sciences and Hospital (CODSH), Nepal Medical College (NMC), Attarkhel, Jorpati, a tertiary hospital in Nepal. A valid 28- item dental satisfaction tool was used in the study, three were excluded to match the Nepalese context. The questionnaire consists of four domains namely context, content, outcome, and cost of dental health services. The research questionnaires were handed out to the five respective departments. The responses for all these domains were expressed on 5 points Likert scale and a mean score was calculated. The data was analyzed in SPSS version 16.

Results: There was a high level of satisfaction among patients receiving dental services with a mean score of 4.09 ± 0.57 out of five domains.

Conclusions: The patients showed a higher level of satisfaction in all four domains of the satisfaction questionnaire irrespective of age, sex, literacy, income, and the number of visits.