Patient satisfaction with services at public and faithbased primary health centres in Lagos State: A comparative study

Context: The primary health care is the first point of contact between a patient and the health-care system. The quality of services provided at public health facilities has gradually declined, precipitating the emergence of alternative service providers. Patient satisfaction is an important indicator for assessing the quality of care in health service provision. Aim: The aim of this study is to compare the patient's satisfaction among attendees at a public and a faith-based primary health center (PHC). Settings and Design: Study design involves comparative cross-sectional in PHCs. Materials and Methods: A total of 700 respondents were recruited consecutively from a public and a faith-based PHC. Data were collected using an adapted General Practice Assessment Questionnaire. Four domains of quality of care were assessed. Statistical Analysis Used: SPSS software version 17 was employed in the data analysis, and the level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: Affordability was the most important reason for the choice of a health facility by 47.0% of the public PHC patients, and this was higher than in 41.0% of the patients attending the faith-based PHC. The mean quality of care score was higher among the faith-based (0.90 ± 0.12) than in public (0.85 ± 0.21) PHC attendees (P < 0.001). Patients' satisfaction was higher among the respondents attending the faith-based PHC (P < 0.001). The factors significantly associated with high patient satisfaction among the public PHC attendees included older age, higher educational levels, being married, and perceived good quality of services, while for the faith-based PHC, it included the younger age group, higher levels of education, being married, and closeness to the facility (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Accessibility was scored lowest in both PHCs, while effectiveness was highest in the faith-based PHC. Patients' satisfaction was higher among those who attended the faith-based PHC. It is recommended aspects of accessibility such as waiting time should be a focus of health managers.