Comparative Analysis of Patient Satisfaction Level with Radiology Services in Public and Private Hospitals of District Peshawar
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61919/b4th7d68Keywords:
patient satisfaction, radiology services, public hospital, private hospital, diagnostic imaging, healthcare quality, PakistanAbstract
Background: Patient satisfaction is a recognized marker of healthcare quality, yet radiology-specific comparisons between public and private tertiary hospitals in Pakistan remain scarce. Disparities in service delivery, particularly in resource-constrained settings, may substantially affect diagnostic experiences and subsequent care. Objective: To compare patient satisfaction with radiology services between a public and a private tertiary hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted over four months at Hayatabad Medical Complex (public) and Rehman Medical Institute (private). Consecutive sampling recruited 184 adult patients (92 per site) who had undergone X-ray, ultrasound, CT, or MRI. A validated questionnaire assessed nine service domains on a five-point Likert scale plus open suggestions. Comparisons used χ² tests, t-tests, and odds ratios; analyses were performed in SPSS version 27. Results: Private-hospital patients reported markedly higher satisfaction across all domains (all p<0.001). Overall satisfaction reached 91.3% in the private sector versus 38.0% in the public sector (OR 17.8, 95% CI 8.0–39.6); mean scores were 4.59 (SD 0.71) versus 3.08 (SD 1.01). Largest gaps occurred in appointment ease, waiting times, staff kindness, and equipment cleanliness. Public hospital patients more frequently requested improvements in communication and waiting times. Conclusion: Private radiology services in Peshawar substantially outperform public services in patient-reported quality. Targeted public-sector reforms focusing on workflow efficiency and staff training could reduce this gap.
References
1. Wahed W, Mabrook S, Abdel Wahed W. Assessment of patient satisfaction at radiological department of Fayoum University hospitals. Int J Med Dev Ctries 2017;1:126-31.
2. Khoso AR, Akhtar F, Narejo AA, et al. Comparative analysis of service quality between public and private hospitals, using SERVQUAL model: a case study of Peshawar, Pakistan. MEDFARM 2022;11:240-52.
3. Bano A, Khalid M. Patient satisfaction outcomes: a comparison between public and private health care services in Islamabad. Islamabad: Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, 2020.
4. Asif S, Khan A, Asif N, et al. Patient satisfaction regarding outpatient department services at Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar. Khyber J Med Sci 2016;9:100-3.
5. Attiq S, Ali M, Shah M, Nawaz N. Real-time patient satisfaction survey in a tertiary care hospital. PAFMJ 2018;68:1042-9.
6. Farid M, Khan JS, Shamim U, et al. Integrated health care services in accident and emergency department of a tertiary care hospital: doctors and patients feedback. MedERA-J CMH LMC IOD 2024;6:2.
7. Khan A, Kaleem M, Ali SR. Patient’s satisfaction and response towards medical staff in public hospitals. Discourse 2018;4:17-29.
8. Ghazanfar A, Idress IN, Zia Z, et al. Comparison of patients satisfaction levels in public and private tertiary care centres. J Pak Med Assoc 2017;67:1305-8.
9. Jan A, Ishtiaq M. Comparison of patients satisfaction in public and private teaching hospitals of Islamabad. Pak J Med Res 2017;56:78-83.
10. Ansar FARRUKH, Naveed HIRA, Khattak ALMAS, Saad M. Perception of patients regarding quality of healthcare services at public and private tertiary care hospitals. Perception 2021;9:24-27.
11. Alharbi MF. Patients’ experience of service quality in government and private hospitals in the Qassim Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. J Med Life 2023;16:1622.
12. Sodani PR, Kumar RK, Srivastava J, Sharma L. Measuring patient satisfaction: a case study to improve quality of care at public health facilities. Indian J Community Med 2010;35:52-6.
13. Kruk ME, Chukwuma A, Mbaruku G, Leslie HH. Variation in quality of primary-care services in Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. Bull World Health Organ 2017;95:408-18.
14. Bleustein C, Rothschild DB, Valen A, et al. Wait times, patient satisfaction scores, and the perception of care. Am J Manag Care 2014;20:393-400.
15. Javed SA, Liu S. Predicting the performance of healthcare services using patient satisfaction metrics in Pakistan. Health Serv Manage Res 2020;33:139-47.
16. Gupta S, Kant S. Patient experience in outpatient departments: a systematic review. J Family Med Prim Care 2021;10:2085-91.
17. Andaleeb SS. Service quality perceptions and patient satisfaction: a study of hospitals in a developing country. Soc Sci Med 2001;52:1359-70.
18. Swain S, Singh RK. Measuring the impact of perceived service quality on insured and uninsured patients’ satisfaction. Meas Bus Excell 2021;25:346-67.
19. Nguyen TL, Do AT, Tran VH. Satisfaction among outpatients using services at the Department of Diagnostic Imaging, National ENT Hospital in 2023. Tạp chí Khoa học Điều dưỡng 2024;7:63-71.
20. Batbaatar E, Dorjdagva J, Luvsannyam A, et al. Determinants of patient satisfaction: a systematic review. Perspect Public Health 2017;137:89-101.
21. Qureshi NJ, Thaver IH, Shahid O, et al. Are patients satisfied with healthcare services in hospitals? Which dimensions influence it? J Bahria Univ Med Dent Coll 2022;12:100-5.
22. Crow R, Gage H, Hampson S, et al. The measurement of satisfaction with healthcare: implications for practice from a systematic review of the literature. Health Technol Assess 2002;6:1-244.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Hassan Khan, Malaika Awan, Laiba Noor, Muhammad Mushal Khan (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
