Abstract

Background: Patient satisfaction has been increasingly used as one indicator of the quality of health care. Measures of patient satisfaction are used to compare health care programs, to evaluate quality of care, and to identify which aspects of a service need improvement . There is no published study about diabetic patient satisfaction in UAE.

Objectives: To assess the predictors of diabetic patient’s satisfaction regarding services provided at PHC centers as well as some factors affecting it. Methodology: A cross sectional study among adult diabetic patients attending PHC centers in DHA, Dubai. Data were collected by using a standardized satisfaction questionnaire to assess diabetic patient satisfaction regarding the services provided in primary health care centers where they are being managed. Random cluster sample technique was used with proper allocation of 540 patients with diabetes from PHC centers/ DHA.

Results: the most significant predictors of patient satisfaction are age, level of education and LDL being controlled at target. The most likely age group of being less satisfied are the <45 years old (OR = 4.90), followed by the age group 45-<55 years (OR = 3.21) in contrast to the group 65 years or more. In comparison to illiterate, the university educated patients are the most likely group to be less satisfied (OR = 5.94), followed by the secondary educated (OR = 3.48), then the preparatory education group (OR = 2.08). Those patients with LDL not controlled at target are more likely to be less satisfied (OR = 1.59). The study revealed that there is statistical significant relationship between satisfaction and Age, sex, nationality, education, marital status, occupation, duration of diabetes, treatment regimen and complication. And by application of stepwise logistic regression; satisfaction mostly affected by age and education level and LDL at control target.

Conclusion: Satisfaction not only related to the system difficulties but also patient and disease characteristics play a role too. There was great link and association between satisfaction and patients’ characteristics like; age, gender, education, nationality, and occupation. Disease characteristics such as duration of the disease, complications, type of the drug regimen as well as the control of the disease are also associated with satisfaction.