Patient satisfaction in Maltese public health centres

Abstract

Background Patient-centred care is a core value in family medicine. Patients have a right to receive high quality health care taking into account the individual’s biopsychosocial problems. Objective To assess patient satisfaction in north and central Maltese public health centres and identify areas for improvement. Method A total of 120 patients were included. Prior authorisation from the Primary Health Care Department and from the data protection office was acquired. Patients who visited the health centre for the general practitioner (GP) service and accepted to take part in the questionnaire were required to sign a consent form. A questionnaire was then given to each of these patients on which they had to mark their level of satisfaction in each of the following areas: waiting time, making appointments, speaking with a doctor on the phone, doctor-patient communication, patients’ privacy and dignity, and overall satisfaction. Results From a total of 120 patients, 39.2% (n=47) stated that they were not at all satisfied with waiting times at health centres. 49.2% (n=59) were “very satisfied” with the overall service given at health centres. Patients suggested increasing the number of doctors in health centres and having a more organised system whilst waiting at the GP clinic. The Diabetes and Chronic Disease Management Clinics received very positive feedback from patients. Conclusion This survey has helped to gauge patients’ perceptions of primary care delivered in Maltese public health centres. More research in this area should be carried out possibly using a larger number of patients to obtain more representative results.