Satisfaction Level and Perception of Quality in Cancer Care

Abstract

Consumer’s perception of health care quality and his satisfaction is being identified as an important issue in health care industry. Studies addressing patients’ perceptions of quality are available but there is paucity of data regarding the perception of health care providers (service-providers) towards their own services. This study was undertaken to compare the satisfaction level between the patients and health care providers from a radiation oncology department. A common 16-item questionnaire was served to 40 patients and 40 staff members. The responses were statistically evaluated to assess the satisfaction level among the two groups and the scores were compared to assess the agreement between two groups. Overall, satisfaction level of both groups regarding quality of services ranged from ‘good’ to ‘excellent’. A high level of agreement was observed between the two groups. The physician’s ability to give explanation to patients, helping attitude of the staff and the staff’s concern for patient safety were the most satisfying features of the department while inconvenience during scheduling of appointments, billing and registration process, status of the changing rooms and inter-department coordination were the least satisfying features. A high level of satisfaction may be achieved from the consumers if service providers are trained to assess the needs and expectations of consumers and to critically evaluate themselves. The service-providers’ perception regarding their own services may serve as a preliminary indicator of overall quality. Future studies in different settings with more number of patients may further explore our results.