Improving health performances: To what extent patient satisfaction may influence quality?

Patient satisfaction constitutes an objective to achieve in the provision of qualitatively adequate health services; it relies on patient involvement, that is obtained through surveys aimed at letting patient to express their opinion on the health care received. Patients may provide the best source of accurate information, primarily on issues such as clarity of explanations given by physicians or barriers to care, accessibility and cleanliness of health structures. This analysis summarises the experience of a sample of patient interviewed at the University Polyclinic in Messina (Sicily, Italy) and provides a detailed assessment of the satisfaction of patients who experienced health services at different Departments. Information collected through a specific survey is used to build a dataset with more than 350 observations. Regressors are carefully selected and compared through a radar chart. A rigorous empirical methodology, based on the estimation of a logistic model, is then applied. Results outlines how factors relevant for patient satisfaction are related both to the ambulatory where the health care is provided and its characteristics, together with the judgement about the quality of care received by physicians and nurses. Other crucial factors in determining a higher satisfaction were the availability of parking lots, the cleaning of structures and the judgment on physicians, the latter endorsing the high probability of being highly satisfied when expectations on physicians’ competences and professionalism are confirmed. The “Contact details”, i.e. the indications of the people to contact in case of need, strengthen the overall positive experience of patients. This study enriches the existing literature on patient satisfaction and is aimed at rethinking the organization of the health assistance offered at University Polyclinics, with the primary objective to guarantee the highest patient satisfaction.