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Shri Guru Ram Rai University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
Patient satisfaction in hospital refers to how the patient perceives the quality of care and effectiveness of various hospital services. Outpatient service area is one zone where patients flow in high volume and services rendered here affect patient directly. A physiotherapy OPD is a part which treats the patients on a continual basis. Since there are multiple interactions between staff and patient, waiting time or staff behaviour & attitude, infrastructure, cleanliness, etc. becomes an important factor of patient satisfaction. Through patient satisfaction analysis of such factors helps the institute in identifying areas of improvement and enhancing the quality of care. This hospital-based cross-sectional research was done to evaluate waiting time and its effect on patient satisfaction in OPD Physiotherapy services at Shri Mahant Indresh Hospital Dehradun. A patient feedback questionnaire was administered to 100 patients to get the desired data. The feedback questionnaire had five domains- questionnaire comprising of (i) sociodemographic details (ii) waiting time assessment (iii) satisfaction domain (iv) infrastructure and cleanliness domain (v) improvement domain. The researchers of the study performed descriptive statistical analysis to calculate frequency and percentage, mean waiting time and mean overall satisfaction level. Patients were satisfied with physiotherapy services provided. The longer the wait, the greater the dissatisfaction. Furthermore, the personnel’s favourable conduct, maintenance of infrastructure, and cleanliness of an environmental at the treatment area influence was towards patient satisfaction.
Patient satisfaction has turned into a quality parameter which is essential for quality assessment of medical services and institution. Patient involvement and feedback in contemporary health systems provide valuable information on the efficiency of service delivery systems. Thus, with patient feedback, we can improve health care quality as well as the patient experience. In addition, as numerous healthcare institutions shift towards patient-centered care approaches, patients’ satisfaction has become an important variable.
Waiting time is one of the most influential factors affecting patient satisfaction. Longer waiting time has been associated with increased dissatisfaction and reduced perceived quality of care (Bleusteinb et al., 2014; Xie et al., 2019). Studies have shown that both actual and perceived waiting time significantly influenced patient experience and trust in healthcare system’s ( Thompson et al., 1996).
Physiotherapy Out Patient Department muscle and brain disorders must be effectively rehabilitated. Patients attend OPD of physiotherapy to solve these problems. Also, the disease pathology may involve repeated visits and activity with the physiotherapist. In addition, a variety of other aspects like waiting time, staff behaviour, facilities and communication also impact service delivery quality.
Patient satisfaction is very important.
According to a study by the experts, the most important service feature that determines patients’ satisfaction in outpatient health care services is waiting time. When registration, investigation, and advice provision is delayed, a patient’s satisfaction level is impacted. When patients have to wait for a long time, they may be dissatisfied and frustrated creating a quality gap. Appointment scheduling system and smooth movement of patients through levels of services if well implemented will increase satisfaction level. It would promote and reinforce patients’ trust in health services. Moreover, to formulate strategies for improvements, it should be ascertained which service-related attributes- besides waiting time- affect customers’ ratings of restaurants and hotels.
OBJECTIVES
1. To assess patient satisfaction in physiotherapy OPD.
2. To measure the average waiting time for physiotherapy services.
3. To evaluate patient perception regarding staff behaviour and quality of care.
4. To identify factors influencing patient satisfaction including infrastructure and cleanliness.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Several studies have examined patient satisfaction in physiotherapy and outpatient healthcare services. Rossettini et al. (2020) reported that effective therapist–patient communication and perceived treatment benefits significantly influence satisfaction in musculoskeletal physiotherapy services. Guadie and Kibret (2022) observed that shorter waiting times and respectful staff behaviour were associated with higher satisfaction levels in physiotherapy outpatient departments. Similarly, Batbaatar et al. (2020) identified waiting time, communication, and healthcare environment as major determinants of patient satisfaction across healthcare settings.
Bleustein et al. (2014) And Anderson et al. (2007) demonstrated that increased waiting time leads to decreased patient satisfaction in outpatient services. Xie et al. (2019) Further confirmed this relationship in large scale outpatient settings, emphasizes the importance of reducing waiting time to improve service quality.
Research by Zhang et al. (2023) demonstrated that prolonged waiting times significantly reduce patient satisfaction and overall healthcare experience. Ghavami et al. (2024) found that infrastructure quality and cleanliness of physiotherapy departments positively influenced patient trust and treatment adherence. Studies in rehabilitation settings also emphasize that patient perception of service quality is strongly linked with staff professionalism and facility conditions.
Overall, existing literature suggests that multiple factors influence patient satisfaction in physiotherapy services, including waiting time, staff behaviour, infrastructure, cleanliness and perceived treatment improvement. The present study contributes to this body of research by evaluating these factors within a tertiary care hospital setting in India.
METHODOLOGY
A cross-sectional observational study was conducted at Shri Mahant Indresh Hospital, Dehradun (Uttarakhand, India) in the Physiotherapy Outpatient Department to evaluate patient satisfaction and the effect of waiting time on patient perceptions regarding physiotherapy services. The sample consisted of 100 patients who received physiotherapy treatment during the course of the study and who expressed a willingness to participate; patients who were unable to respond due to severe illness were excluded from the analysis.
Data were collected using a structured patient feedback questionnaire that included questions pertaining to demographics, assessment of waiting time, satisfaction with care received from physiotherapy providers, staff conduct, infrastructure available at the physiotherapy department, cleanliness in the physiotherapy department, and patient expectations regarding treatment outcomes.
The questionnaires were analyzed using Microsoft Excel with descriptive statistical methods to calculate the frequency, percentage, mean waiting time, and mean levels of satisfaction. The relationship between waiting time and levels of satisfaction was analyzed for determining their effect on the overall satisfaction of patients. A diagrammatic representation of the results was produced in the form of tables and graphs to display the data in a clear manner.
Hypothesis: H0: There is no significant relationship between waiting time and patient satisfaction.
H1: There is a significant relationship between waiting time and patient satisfaction.
Statistical Analysis: Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Descriptive statistics such as mean , percentage, and standard deviation were used. Pearson correlation analysis was applied to assess the relationship between waiting time and patient satisfaction. A p- value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS
Mean waiting time: 11.80 ± 4.05 minutes
Mean satisfaction score: 4.24 ± 0.28
Inferential Analysis: A moderate negative correlation was observed between waiting time and patient satisfaction (r = -0.58, p < 0.05), indicating that the relationship is statistically significant. This suggests that an increase in waiting time leads to a decrease in patient satisfaction.
Table 1: Age Group Distribution
|
Age Group |
Frequency |
Percentage |
|
18–30 |
18 |
18.0% |
|
31–40 |
21 |
21.0% |
|
41–50 |
20 |
20.0% |
|
51–60 |
19 |
19.0% |
|
>60 |
22 |
22.0% |
Table 2: Gender Distribution
|
Gender |
Frequency |
Percentage |
|
Male |
53 |
53.0% |
|
Female |
47 |
47.0% |
Table 3: Visit Type
|
Visit Type |
Frequency |
Percentage |
|
New |
37 |
37.0% |
|
Follow-up |
63 |
63.0% |
Table 4: Waiting Time Category
|
Category |
Frequency |
Percentage |
|
0–10 |
47 |
47.0% |
|
11–20 |
52 |
52.0% |
|
21–30 |
1 |
1.0% |
|
>30 |
0 |
0.0% |
Table 5: Satisfaction Domains
|
Domain |
Mean Score |
|
Registration process (Infrastructure proxy) |
4.16 |
|
Waiting time satisfaction |
4.12 |
|
Therapist explanation |
4.81 |
|
Staff behavior |
4.72 |
|
Cleanliness/Privacy |
3.96 |
|
Treatment duration adequacy |
4.07 |
|
Overall satisfaction |
3.84 |
Table 6: Perceived Improvement
|
Improvement |
Frequency |
Percentage |
|
1 |
67 |
67.0% |
|
2 |
26 |
26.0% |
|
3 |
7 |
7.0% |
FIGURES
Figure 1: Age Distribution
Figure 2: Gender Distribution
Figure 3: Visit Type Distribution
Figure 4: Waiting Time Distribution
Figure 5: Perceived Improvement
DISCUSSION
This study demonstrates the waiting time has a significant negative impact on patient satisfaction in Physiotherapy Outpatient Services. Patient who experienced shorter waiting time reported higher satisfaction levels.
These findings are consistent with previous studies. Rossenttini et al.v(2020) reported that reduced waiting time and effective communication significantly improve patient satisfaction. Similarly, Zhang et al. (2023) found that prolonged waiting time negatively affects outpatient experience.
In aggreement with Guadie and Kibert (2022), this study also highlights the importance of staff behaviour in influencing patient perception.
Batbaatar et al. (2017) emphasized that patient satisfaction is influenced by multiple factors including waiting time, communication, and healthcare environment.
Furthermore, Ghavani et al. (2024) observed that infrastructure and cleanliness positively affect patient trust and satisfaction, which aligns with the present study findings where lower scores were observed in cleanliness and privacy domains.
These findings are consistent with Bleustein et al. (2014) and Xie et al. (2019), who reported that increased waiting time leads to reduced patient satisfaction in outpatient settings. Similarly, Thompson et al.(1996) emphasized that both actual and perceived waiting times influence patient experience.
Thus, while waiting time is a key determinant, patient satisfaction is multifactorial and requires a holistic improvement approach.
Patients reported increased levels of satisfaction with shorter wait times. It is likely that more effective use of patient scheduling, along with greater efficiency within the delivery of service to the patient, reduced wait times and improved the patient experience. Similar results have been found in previous healthcare studies where patient satisfaction (in outpatient departments) was affected by how long they waited.
Patients also indicated that other aspects such as health care worker behaviour, communication from the person providing the treatment, facility cleanliness, and infrastructure affected their level of satisfaction with physiotherapy services. Patients who described the physiotherapy department as clean and well-maintained were more satisfied than those who did not. A positive interaction between the health care worker providing the treatment and the patient created a more comfortable and supportive treatment environment.
CONCLUSION
This research indicates that the length of time patients have to wait is one of the key factors affecting how satisfied people are with physiotherapy outpatient services at a tertiary hospital. The average waiting time of 11.80 ± 4.05 minutes was determined to be within an acceptable range, and this corresponded with an overall satisfaction score (4.24 ± 0.28) indicating good service delivery. Therefore, the results showed that patient satisfaction is influenced by many factors, and not just waiting times.
Among the areas of satisfaction, the statements relating to therapist explanations and staff behaviour received the highest scores across all areas. Improving the effectiveness of staff communication, professional abilities and the quality of the patient/therapist interaction through empathic care will improve patient perception. These interpersonal aspects of care appear to have a greater effect on patient perception when compared to operational aspects of care. On the other hand, low scores in cleanliness and privacy suggest that there are opportunities for improving the infrastructure and environment utilized to provide physiotherapy outpatient services.
Of the patients surveyed, the majority (approximately 67%) reported improvements in their overall physical health as an indicator of their increased level of satisfaction and as evidence of the effectiveness of physiotherapy services. Due to both clinical outcomes and service experiences being of equal importance in determining patient satisfaction, satisfaction is primarily based upon the pain reduction and functional improvements experienced while receiving physiotherapy treatment.
From an administrative hospital viewpoint, the results indicate that the hospital should continue to routinely record monitoring TAT and continuously optimize TAT. A proper investment in staff training, improvement of infrastructure, and maintenance of sanitation would all be important for improved service quality. There are many ways that hospitals can accomplish this; improving service quality is accomplished through regular systematic scheduling, the management of the flow of patients through physical rehabilitation services, and regular quality audits.
In conclusion, increasing patient satisfaction in outpatient physiotherapy requires an integrated approach to improve operational efficiency and patient-centered care simultaneously. A holistic hospital strategy includes elements such as reducing wait times, increasing effective communication with patients, and improving the overall environment to facilitate the best clinical outcome, build trust with patients, and provide higher service quality.
REFERENCES
Abhishek Mehta*, Impact Of Waiting Time On Patient Satisfaction In Physiotherapy Out Patient Services At A Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study, Int. J. Sci. R. Tech., 2026, 3 (4), 1063-1068. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19816816
10.5281/zenodo.19816816