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Introduction:

Selection of an appropriate health care and measurement of its quality is very complex and elusive, yet the tools of its measurement have been improving. It is easier to evaluate the patient's satisfaction towards the service than to evaluate the quality of medical services that they receive. Therefore, a research on patient satisfaction can be an important tool to measure of health system performance and improve the quality of services. Satisfaction manifests itself in the distribution, access and utilization of health services

Objective:

The main objective of this study is to measure the satisfaction of OPD (Outpatient Department) patients in district hospital, Jamnagar, Gujarat

Method:

Data were collected from a pre-tested, pre-structured questionnaire from 322 patients, who gave the verbal consent at the end of their O.P.D visit at the health facility, Guru Govind Singh Government Hospital, Jamnagar. The items in the questionnaire referred to particulars of the patients such as age, gender, education, occupation, income, family type etc.; perception of patients towards doctor , paramedical staff, basic amenities and quality of care. The responses were expressed in proportions. The data was tabulated on Microsoft Excel sheet and analyzed using EPI info

Results:

Although majority of patients were satisfied with the availability of medicines; availability of information on illness, treatment and prevention; doctor's patience, compassion and dedication but most of the patients were not satisfied with the behavior of hospital personnel ;delay in reception of investigation reports ;unhygienic toilets and improper cleanliness of hospital; and lack of availability of drinking water .