Patient Satisfaction Related to Their Eye Health Examination at Lúrio University Clinic in Nampula, Mozambique during COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction: Patient satisfaction is defined as the extent of agreement between what a patient expects to receive from his or her health experience and the perception of the level of care he or she actually receive. With the COVID-19 pandemic, many practices have to adapt to provide health ensuring patients' safety in first instance. Eye care procedures may be delayed during the pandemic, so eye safety is more important than ever, and it doesn't only focus on the examination room, all the clinic compartments must be adjusted to ensure that no patient is infected by COVID-19 within the clinic. The aim of this study was to assess the satisfaction of patients who attended the Lúrio University Clinic for eye care during COVID-19. Material and Methods: This is a quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study conducted from December 30 th , 2020 to April 30 th , 2021. A systematic random sampling method was used to enrol 173 participants. Data were collected using an identification form and the patient satisfaction survey. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Lúrio University Bioethical Committee review board, and informed consent term was also received from the participants before data collection. Results: 173 participants (84 women, 48.6% and 89 men, 51.4%) completed the survey with the mean age of 31.14 and standard deviation of ±14.6 years. We found that 98.3% of the participants were satisfied (63.6% satisfied and 34.7% extremely satisfied) with the eye care provided in Lúrio University Clinic. Conclusion: Most of the patients were satisfied with the eye health examination provided in Lúrio University clinic, thus the directions for future research of the study are now opened.

Sociodemographic Data and Factors That Influence Patient Satisfaction with the Occupational Health Service of the Tete Provincial Hospital, Mozambique, 2022

“…On the other hand, studies were carried out in the country to assess user satisfaction with outpatient health services; 15 satisfaction with family planning services; 16 satisfaction with care during childbirth; 5 satisfaction regarding the eye health examination. 4 However, our findings are the first to show an introspection in which the assessment is carried out by the employees themselves as users of occupational health services.…”

“…On the other hand, other studies reported low satisfaction values of prevalence of user satisfaction in Nampula province. 4 The low satisfaction value in Nampula may be due to several factors, such as the evaluation of a single service provided, the location of the health services and the period in which the study took place was during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when that service was restricted from health units. 4 …”

“…In Mozambique, there is a concern with satisfaction in health services, both by researchers, managers and health professionals, in order to guarantee the retention or adherence of users. 4,5 Satisfaction is not easy to achieve, due to its multidimensional nature, and can be influenced by several factors, namely: individual conceptions, previous experiences, expectations about the different dimensions of satisfaction; however, as a conclusion, it can be stated that satisfaction is a dynamic, subjective concept. 6,7 Satisfaction is an emotion, or a feeling that can be verbalized and measured through opinions or the collection of these perceptions.…”

“…In this context, the quality of health systems, as well as the performance of health professionals, require satisfaction assessment by their users. 4 User satisfaction is the result of differences between the user's expectations regarding health care and their perception of the care received, therefore, if the difference is smaller, the service user's satisfaction will be greater. 8 Several researchers have identified several dimensions to assess users' satisfaction with health care.…”

A Cross-Sectional Study on Patient Satisfaction With Healthcare Services Provided at the Ophthalmology Clinics in Saudi Arabia

“…The study involved 553 patients who attended ophthalmology clinics during the time of data collection, and most of them (76.5%, n = 423) were between the ages of 18 and 35, which is like Khathlan's retrospective descriptive study in Saudi Arabia [ 18 ], which found that the majority of patients who visited the ophthalmology clinics in 2018 were between the ages of 21 and 40. Also, Bambamba et al [ 19 ] conducted research to assess patient satisfaction with ophthalmology clinics in Mozambique, and they reported that 66.5% of their study sample was in the age group of 20-40 years old. This issue should be examined in further research to detect the common reasons for the increased frequency of ophthalmology clinic visits among young adults in comparison to the other age groups.…”