Level and determinants of patient satisfaction with psychiatric out-patient services, Muscat, Oman

Abstract

Recent advancements in biomedical care in Oman, a society in transition, has implied a move away from traditional methods of healing. Psychiatric services have now made their way into mainstream healthcare. However, along with the issue of social stigma, little information exists regarding satisfaction with psychiatric services in such under-researched populations. In order to lay the groundwork for an empirical approach to dispensing psychiatric services, this study aimed at measuring the level of service-related satisfaction and level of functioning among a systemic random sample of psychiatric outpatients. The second aim was to investigate the sociodemographic and clinical determinants of satisfaction across its various indices. This was a cross-sectional correlative study conducted over a 3-month period on 128 patients (18–60 years old) receiving treatment for at least six months from the psychiatric outpatient department at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital. Satisfaction was assessed by the previously well-validated Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire-18 (PSQ-18)---a self-reported measure covering domains of “general satisfaction,” “technical quality,” “interpersonal aspect,” “communication,” “financial aspect,” “time spent with the doctor,” and “accessibility and convenience.” Participants ranked “financial aspect” as providing the highest level of satisfaction, followed by “interpersonal aspect,” while “technical quality” and “accessibility and convenience” were endorsed the least. Using linear regression analysis we found that diagnosis (schizophrenia), education, and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) were the main predictors of the various satisfaction/dissatisfaction domains. This was the first ever study to examine the level and determinants of satisfaction among attendees at a psychiatric outpatient unit within the Arabian Peninsula. The present study could lay solid groundwork for benchmarking and quality assurance in the future.

Keywords:

• Patient satisfaction questionnaire
• psychiatric user
• satisfaction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.