Survey of patient satisfaction with obstetric ultrasound service at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital; Enugu; Nigeria

ABSTRACT

A semi-structured questionnaire study of 326 randomly selected pregnant women referred for ultrasound examination at the ultrasound Laboratory of University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH); Enugu was undertaken. The main objectives of this survey included assessment of women's perception and satisfaction with obstetric ultrasound service at UNTH; Enugu and to reflect on our practice. Questions were asked about gestational age; reasons for the scan; information provided before and during the scan; the women's expectations when attending for the scan; their waiting time; their opinion regarding the scan service and suggestions to improve services. Results showed that majority of the patients (66; N = 215) were not given adequate in formation required to make a knowledgeable decision about their scan. Large number of the women (67.5; N = 220) waited for a long time (1-4 hours) before their scan. About half of the respondents (53; N = 173) were satisfied with the way the result of the scan was communicated to them. Results suggest that full implementation of informed consent; reduced waiting time; better communication; explanation and counseling of scan findings to patients would improve the quality of our obstetric ultrasound service