Thesis (MSc) - Cyprus International University. Institute of Graduate Studies and Research Health Care Organizations Management Department

Includes bibliography (sheets 64-80)

ABSTRACT Patient waiting time has been identified as a key indication in assessing healthcare quality and patient satisfaction with healthcare services, long outpatient waiting time have created a significant obstacle in maximizing healthcare quality. Long waiting time is a problem for patients since they are prone to develop fatigue and reluctance to visit the hospital. Bo hospital, like all other Capricorn-based hospitals, does not have a policy to manage patient waiting time and it is overcrowded with patients and has a hectic schedule for hospital staff. These concerns have led to long waiting hours which is one of the top reasons for customer dissatisfaction. Efforts to predict patient long waiting hours have not been systematically studied at the government hospital. Hence, this study aims to evaluate waiting time, and related factors influencing patient satisfaction level at the outpatient department of Government hospital, Bo city, Sierra Leone. A quantitative study method was used in this research and the data was primarily quantitative. The study makes use of survey data collected from patients in the OPD that included 347 derived from 3,500 patients in the month of April 2022. A total of 347 respondents was derived using statistical formular. The data collection was done online using Google Form links. The data gathered was analysed using SPSS version 20.0 and descriptive statistics was performed on all study variables. Bivariate regression analysis was conducted to test hypothesis. The findings showed that the overall satisfaction of waiting time to see the doctor, transparency of information and procedure for medical examination and treatment, facilities serving patient, behaviour and professional competency of medical staff, and service delivery were deemed unreasonable and as a result, the dissatisfaction of all respondents was recognised. The result further revealed that the majority of participants stated that they would never return or recommend the facility to others. Analyses revealed a non-significant correlation between accessibility and patient satisfaction, while the transparency of information, facilities, service delivery, and behaviour of medical staff had a significant association. Therefore, it is recommended that this research should be extended to various districts across Sierra Leone to evaluate the waiting time and factors influencing patient satisfaction as waiting time might vary amongst hospitals at different levels.