Patients’ Satisfaction with Healthcare Services Among Older People with Multimorbidity: Subnational Gender Perspective

Abstract

AbstractBackground and Aim The universal use of patient satisfaction as a measure of quality of healthcare cannot be overemphasized, but studies of healthcare satisfaction between older women and older men with multimorbidity in our contemporary society has been questioned over the years. This paper explores the disparities in patient satisfaction between older women and men with multimorbidity in Nigeria using survey data. Methods We analyzed data collected between October 2021 to February 2022 from a cross-section of randomly sampled 734 participants with multimorbidity with age 60 years and above who presented for routine check-ups and consented to participate in the study. The data were entered into JISC online data collection tool and exported to IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 27 for analysis. Mann-Whitney U test analysis was performed to compare the participant’s mean satisfaction level and gender. Results Despite higher education among males, females utilize healthcare services more. Our study shows that females are less likely to be satisfied with factors that are linked to access and quality of healthcare, and financial burden of medical care. Whereas males are more likely to be satisfied with factors that relate to patient-physician interaction time and patient waiting time and confidence and trust in medical care. Conclusions Female and male patients may have different expectations regarding healthcare, especially in our society where men are more educated, but females utilize the healthcare services more. The development of appropriate strategies for the implementation of knowledge about patient gender differences will be crucial for the delivery of high-quality gender-sensitive healthcare.