Intersecting dimensions of patient experience: evaluating the impact on satisfaction in Moroccan public healthcare

Abstract

In a continuous effort to improve the quality of services rendered by public sector health facilities, patient-user satisfaction must be viewed as a legitimate outcome of care. The primary objective of our study was to measure the level of satisfaction of users of maternal and child hospitalization services within public hospitals in Casablanca. This is a single-pass descriptive cross-sectional study that took place from January 4 to February 26, 2023. The study population corresponded to all patient-users who underwent or whose children underwent hospitalization in neonatology or maternity services. Data was collected through a questionnaire inspired by the SAPHORA-MCO version 2009, adapted for the evaluation of patient satisfaction in medicine. The measured dimensions were the variables of satisfaction extracted from the questionnaire directly related to the quality of care, hotel comfort, and organization of discharge protocol, and the determinants of overall satisfaction related to individual users' experiences. In terms of results, we inferred that the main determinants of overall satisfaction are the quality of care and hotel comfort. This study highlighted the priority expectations of users of hospitalization services. However, substantial improvements should be made primarily to the administrative discharge procedures and information given on the continuity of care to achieve better satisfaction.