Inpatient satisfaction: an analysis of Malaysian public hospitals

Purpose - The objective of this study is to provide an empirical analysis on inpatient satisfaction in Malaysian public hospitals. Design/methodology/approach - Self-administered questionnaire was the main data collection method. Altogether 23 hospitals throughout Peninsular Malaysia participated in the survey. Cluster sampling was used in the selection of the respondent hospitals, while convenience sampling was used in administering the survey. Findings - Three factors of inpatient satisfaction were extracted, which were clinical and physical dimensions of service, and additional facilities for patients and family members. Inpatient satisfaction was found to be higher for clinical dimension than physical dimension. Overall, inpatient satisfaction was high as reflected by the high mean score of the variables, although caution was expressed in interpreting the finding, particularly low expectation of patients to begin with. Research limitations/implications - The research was limited to inpatient of Malaysian public hospitals. A thorough evaluation of the nation’s public healthcare delivery system would need to include outpatient service as well. Originality/value - The research provides an empirical analysis on inpatient satisfaction in Malaysian public hospitals. This allows policy-makers to evaluate the level of public healthcare delivery service in the country and therefore assist in policy decision-making and implementation