Patients Satisfaction with Quality Healthcare in Ghana: A Comparative Study between University of Ghana and University of Cape Coast Hospitals

Abstract

Over the decades, Ghana‟s Ministry of Health has resolved to continuously improve the quality of healthcare and to enhance clients/patients satisfaction in the most cost-effective manner in Ghana. However, there are key challenges that confront the implementation of these objectives in some hospitals, according to the Ghana Health Service 2010 (GHS) evaluation report of patient‟s satisfaction with quality healthcare delivery. The purpose of this study was to examine patient‟s satisfaction with quality healthcare in Ghana, comparing healthcare services at the University of Ghana and the University of Cape Coast hospital. A modified version of the SERVQUAL model was used as the data collection instruments, which was administered to a sample of 218 patients receiving healthcare at the OPD of the two university hospitals. A principal component analysis, multiple linear regression, independent Ttest and a manual thematic analysis were used in the data presentation and analysis. The results show that empathy, communication, culture, tangibles and priority are key predictors of patients‟ satisfaction with quality healthcare. More so, in some interviews, the patients noted that timeliness, staff performance, service improvement and satisfactory services are relevant for ensuring service quality to patients at the hospital. A comparative analysis revealed that empathy, tangibles and priority were dimensions of service quality that pose a difference in healthcare delivery at the two-university hospital. The author recommends that the university hospital management should develop policies based on the communication, empathy, culture, tangibles, and priority, which will ensure the patients‟ satisfaction with quality healthcare.