Level of Patients’ Satisfaction from Emergency Medical Services in Markazi Province; a Cross sectional Study

Introduction: One way of evaluating medical services is through assessment of patient satisfaction. Patient satisfaction is a concept that has become so important in medical care nowadays and is even more important in pre-hospital emergency. Therefore, the present study was carried out aiming to evaluate patient satisfaction from pre-hospital emergency services in cities under supervision of Arak University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In this cross-sectional study to evaluate patient satisfaction, a valid and reliable questionnaire of satisfaction scale from pre-hospital emergency care was used. The questionnaire consisted of 33 questions, 9 of which evaluated demographic data and the rest assessed satisfaction in various fields including condition of the ambulance, behavior, expertise and performance of the technicians, efficiency of care, and one question regarding the overall satisfaction with pre-hospital emergency care. Finally, gathered data were analyzed using SPSS and descriptive statistics and proper tests. Results: During the study period, 12564 missions were accomplished. The highest frequency belonged to Arak city (65%) and lowest frequency belonged to Ashtian city (9%). 366 patients participated in this study, most of which were male (59%) and had an education level less than high school diploma. In addition, most (52%) had no history of hospitalization and the number of those who were married was higher than singles (71%). The overall satisfaction score correlated with sex (p = ), marital status (p = ), education level (p = ), place of living (p = ), and history of using emergency services. Based on the results, women, those who were married, less educated people and those who had used emergency services before had reported a higher satisfaction rate. Mean satisfaction score from emergency service of Arak University of Medical Sciences was 0.7 ± 14.5 regarding condition of the ambulance, 83.7 ± 15.5 for technician behavior, 83.4 ± 15 for their expertise, 82.7 ± 14 for performance of the technicians, 89.7 ± 4 for efficiency of care, and the overall satisfaction score was 82.5 ± 14. The overall satisfaction score in cities under supervision of Arak University of Medical Sciences varied significantly (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that patient satisfaction rate from pre-hospital emergency service, was desirable. This rate was higher in women, married people, less educated people, trauma patients and in city bases compared to others. The highest satisfaction rate belonged to the professional performance and the lowest belonged to efficiency of technicians