A Cross Sectional Study on Patient Satisfaction and Its Association with Length of Consultation at the University Malaya Medical Centre Primary Care Clinic

Introduction: Patient satisfaction has been found to be a determinant of patient compliance to medical advice and treatment, medical service utilisation, the doctor-patient relationship, and continuity of care. Assessment of patient satisfaction can be used to evaluate health care services and identify areas to target for quality improvement.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the satisfaction level of patients attending a primary care clinic and its associated factors. Participants' experience of time at the clinic, socio-demographic data, and personal health information were collected. The 18-Item Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire was used to determine patient satisfaction. Univariate and multivariate analyses were employed to identify the factors associated with patient satisfaction.

Results: We recruited 327 participants and 50.46% reported satisfaction. The highest satisfaction was reported in the communication domain (80.80% of the maximum score) and the lowest score was reported in the accessibility and convenience domain (66.40%). The only significant positive correlation with total patient satisfaction score was the difference between perceived and expected length of consultation.

Conclusion: The only independently associated factor was the difference between perceived and expected length of consultation; therefore, changing how time is spent during consultations may prove useful in improving patient satisfaction.