A study on patient satisfaction: The case of Tirana

The aim of this study is to evaluate the satisfaction of the inpatients receiving healthcare services and the overall satisfaction from healthcare services. The target population consisted of hospitalized patients receiving health care from nine hospitals in Tirana, Albania. The sample was not determined in the study so it was aimed to reach all patients who were over 18 years old. 310 patients were reached. Nowadays, health institutions meet the expectations of patients and make them satisfied by providing service delivery above these expectations; every day they face the responsibility to strive to raise this level of satisfaction. According to the satisfaction level of service provision, patients prefer health institutions that will benefit for themselves and make suggestions to their environment. The data of the study were collected by face-to-face interviews with the participants. As a data collection tool, a questionnaire form was used to measure patient satisfaction. Descriptive statistical methods were used to analyze the data. Exploratory factor analysis on general satisfaction scale was performed. According to the results of the sample adequacy test, the KMO value was 0,963. The total variance of the scale was 78,239%. The Cronbach's Alpha value is 0,980 which indicates a high level of internal consistency reliability for our scale and results may be considered valid. According to the findings obtained from the study, the overall satisfaction level of the participants (10 / 7,31) was above the average. There was a significant difference between the general satisfaction level of patients and their demographic characteristics except for gender and economic status.