Satisfaction Level of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients with Healthcare Facilities and Its Association with Knowledge, Attitude and Practice

Background: Patient satisfaction surveys may be a useful tool for improving the efficiency of services provided to the target population. Patient satisfaction is critical for ensuring the quality of the healthcare system, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Patient satisfaction may be impacted by the public's knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding COVID-19. The current study was carried out since patient satisfaction and KAP are crucial for managing any public health emergency.

Aim: This study aimed to find out the satisfaction level of hospitalized COVID-19 cases in the Jaipur district of Rajasthan, India.

Methods: This present study was a community-based online cross-sectional survey, conducted during an unlock period of the COVID-19 pandemic to find out the level of hospital satisfaction of respondent and to associate it with their knowledge, attitude, and practice.

The Google Forms questionnaire link was shared on various WhatsApp groups. The data were collected about patient satisfaction and KAP from those (n=68) who had been admitted to any of the hospitals in past for COVID-19. The collected data were analyzed by the student chi-square and Pearson’s correlation to find any association between different variables. A p-value <.05 was considered as significant.

Results: More than half of hospitalized patients were satisfied with doctors, particularly with the medical explanation of COVID-19, treatment plan, and hospital stay. No discernible difference was depicted in patient satisfaction scores between private (47.27) and government (48.29) hospitals. Patients' satisfaction was significantly positively correlated with good COVID-19 knowledge (r=.511) and practices (r=.385). High patient satisfaction in the present study may be explained by patients’ high knowledge about COVID-19 as the majority of participants had higher education.

Conclusion: The present study has important implications for achieving a high level of patient hospital satisfaction by imparting knowledge to people about COVID-19. Lack of knowledge could be one of the main reasons behind workplace violence against healthcare workers. Therefore, we must increase the patient's understanding of the disease so that the patient is satisfied with the therapy received, which may improve the treatment compliance and doctor-patient relationship.