Facilities Tangibility and Patients’ Satisfaction in Selected Primary Health Centres in Odeda Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Primary health care is widely acknowledged as the most economical means of achieving universal health coverage and addressing all types of health needs in close proximity to people's homes and communities. Nigeria’s high and growing rate of extreme poverty and illiteracy increases the urgency of the need for a primary healthcare system that is effective and sustainable. Purpose: This study examines the effect of the facilities tangibility on patients’ satisfaction in selected primary health care centres in the Odeda local government area of Ogun State. It investigated the effect of physical facilities on patients’ satisfaction; assessed the influence of personnel’s appearance on patients’ satisfaction; and examined the role of the hospital’s equipment quality on patients’ satisfaction. Methodology: The study used a cross-sectional survey research design and a questionnaire as the research instrument. A convenient sampling method was used to select 320 respondents from primary healthcare centres. Three hundred and twenty (320) copies of the questionnaire were administered to respondents, and 300 were received and analysed. The study used both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings: The findings reveal a negative correlation between physical facilities and patients’ satisfaction (R = -0.101, N = 300, p > 0.05); a negative correlation between personnel’s appearance and patients’ satisfaction (R = -0.112, N = 300, p > 0.05); a negative correlation between equipment and patients’ satisfaction (R = -0.157, N = 300, p > 0.05). The study concluded that facilities tangibility had a negative influence on patients’ satisfaction. These findings imply that patients attending primary healthcare centres in the Odeda local government of Ogun State are dissatisfied with the facilities tangibility. It was recommended that hospitals’ management ensure that they have up-to-date facilities, an appealing physical environment, and modern-looking equipment to serve patients better and ensure they are satisfied.