(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM)) The Health Authority - Abu Dhabi (HAAD), the regulatory body of the healthcare sector in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, announced results of the patient satisfaction survey in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The authority commissioned an independent provider to interview patients who received care in Abu Dhabi healthcare facilities.
The survey showed results of patient perception and experiences while receiving care in outpatient, inpatient and emergency departments' settings across all specialties.
The independently commissioned provider conducted almost 56000 interviews, with just over 38000 considered valid; 40% of respondents were UAE nationals. The survey covered 54 questions using a methodology that was validated internationally and is used regularly by many countries, including the US, UK and Singapore.
Compared with a similar survey conducted 5 years ago, the overall patient satisfaction witnessed a significant improvement with an average score of 8.57 out of 10. Furthermore, patients in Abu Dhabi indicated an overall satisfaction rate of 83% in inpatient care setting, which is higher than the level of patient satisfaction for the same setting in US, UK and Singapore.
For the outpatient setting, patients in Abu Dhabi indicated a level of satisfaction that is 86%, again, which is higher than patients' level of satisfaction in UK, Singapore and New Zealand.
Finally in the emergency setting, 84% of patients in Abu Dhabi were satisfied with services provided, which is higher than satisfaction in UK and Singapore. It is worth adding, that the benchmarked countries used the same methodology used in Abu Dhabi.
Commenting on the results, Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of HAAD, said: "HAAD is striving to improve quality of healthcare services provided to citizens and residents in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Patient satisfaction is a key index in evaluating and improving quality of healthcare. It is also crucial for all hospitals in determining the continuity of patient access to all healthcare services they provide."
"The findings of the patient satisfaction study will contribute to improving performance and efficiency of the healthcare sector; they reflect the perception on quality of healthcare provided in the Emirate and identify areas for improvement. Patients' involvement and participation is fundamental in improving services and aids in raising overall satisfaction," Al Khaili added.
Inpatients expressed lower satisfaction rates in comparison with outpatients, or accident and emergency patients. The Doctors and nurses component however, recorded the highest level of satisfaction by patients, considered as the main point of communication method from the patient's point of view.
Priority index analysis indicates the variable "clarity of communication" from physician and patient aspects in addition to variables of hospital discharge procedures such as: "medicine arrangement during discharge" and "discharge process," as main elements that require interventions to improve the overall satisfaction level with inpatient sections.
Prof. Dr. Maha Taysir Barakat, General Director of HAAD, said: "Such questionnaires contribute in setting a contemporary assessment of the quality and safety of healthcare services. They also help healthcare facilities raise overall quality standards and contribute in strengthening patients' confidence in the health system. The quality management process in healthcare services requires various activities such as: measuring results, continuous auditing and review of clinical activities, medical records and many others."
Patients requested reducing waiting time in all healthcare facilities such as: doctor visits, laboratories, pharmacies, diagnosis and radiology. Patients also expressed their preference in doctors and other healthcare workers who are able to communicate with them using their native language.
Last year HAAD launched the "Abu Dhabi Healthcare Quality Indicators € JAWDA" with the aim to improve the quality of healthcare services provided to nationals and residents in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Quality metrics cover four main areas namely safety, effectiveness of care, timeliness of service delivery, and patient-centric delivery of care.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.