Evaluation of patient satisfaction with HIV/AIDS care and treatment: a cross-sectional study

Background, aims and objectives: Patient experience influences the adherence to therapy and achievement of treatment outcomes, supplementing traditional indicators such as care processes and survival outcomes. This study aimed to examine the effect of relationship with healthcare providers on patient satisfaction. Methods: A cross-sectional study carried out at an HIV outpatient clinic from August 2013 to October 2013. Patients were interviewed using a questionnaire adapted and contextualised from an online database. The questionnaire covered aspects related to healthcare providers’ attitude and knowledge, clinic services, patient autonomy and dignity, characteristics of healthcare providers as well as the sociodemographic backgrounds of the participants. A R® program for statistical computing was used for data analysis. Results: Satisfaction with healthcare providers and respect for patient autonomy contributed the most to overall patient satisfaction, influencing 35% of the observed variance in patient responses. Clinic services and independent characteristics of healthcare providers also had minor roles in influencing patient experience. Social components outweighed clinical components in terms of sociodemographic influence on perceived quality of care. Education levels (p ≤ 0.05) and employment status (p ≤ 0.1) were significant determinants of patient experience; however, they were the only two sociodemographics associated with patient satisfaction. Other social and all clinical factors were not significantly associated with patient experience. Conclusion: Relationship with healthcare providers as well as the degree to which patient autonomy is maintained are the most important determinant of patient satisfaction. Overall, social components have more prominent roles in influencing patient satisfaction compared to clinical components.