Satisfaction of Patients from Occupational Therapy Services Offered at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study Utilizing SAPS and PSQ-18

Abstract

Background: Patient satisfaction is a key measure of the quality of health care services and is significant in the context of rehabilitation services where patient and caregiver participation can have an impact on the continuity of care and treatment outcomes. The main goals of occupational therapy services are to enhance functional ability and independence, and participation in activities of daily living, but evidence from the local context on satisfaction with occupational therapy services in tertiary care settings is scarce in Pakistan.

To find out the degree of satisfaction of patients in OT services of Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar with the help of Short Assessment of Patient Satisfaction (SAPS) and Short Form Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ-18) and to evaluate some factors which cause dissatisfaction.

Methodology: This was an institution based cross sectional study which was conducted in Occupational Therapy Department of Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar from October 2019 to March 2020. Convenience sampling was used to include a total of 387 patients who were receiving occupational therapy services. Structured questionnaire was used in order to collect data including sociodemographic data and SAPS and PSQ-18. IBM SPSS software was used for data analysis. Categorical data was summarized as frequencies and percentages, and age data was summarized as mean and SD. Chi-square tests were used to evaluate for associations between participant characteristics and satisfaction outcomes. Binary logistic regression was used to determine independent predictors of PSQ-18 dissatisfaction. A p-value < 0.05 was deemed to be statistically significant.

Results: The median age of the participants was 3.0 years, and the mean was 4.42 ± 3.54 years. The majority of the participants were male (56.1%), from the middle (64.9%) and from Peshawar (58.9%). According to SAPS, 175 participants (45.2%) were satisfied and 149 (38.5%) were very satisfied; therefore, overall SAPS satisfaction was 83.7% (95% CI: 79.7–87.1). According to PSQ-18, 339 participants (87.6%; 95% CI: 83.9–90.5) were satisfied, while 48 (12.4%) were dissatisfied. Socioeconomic status (p < 0.001) was significantly associated with SAPS dissatisfaction. Gender (p = 0.009) and Age Category (p = 0.017) were significant factors associated with PSQ-18 dissatisfaction. Female participants were more likely to be PSQ-18 dissatisfied than male participants (aOR = 2.31; 95% CI: 1.22–4.36; p = 0.010) and participants aged ≥5 years were less likely to be PSQ-18 dissatisfied than those aged <5 years (aOR = 0.42; 95% CI: 0.21–0.87; p = 0.018) in multivariable logistic regression.

Conclusion: Majority of patients getting occupational therapy services at Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar were satisfied or very satisfied with the services received. The mean score for both SAPS and PSQ-18 were consistently high. Satisfaction was however relatively low among female participants and younger children suggesting the importance of enhancing communication, engagement of caregivers and responsiveness to services for young and female children.

Keywords: Patient satisfaction, Occupational Therapy, SAPS, PSQ-18, Rehabilitation, Tertiary care hospital, Peshawar.