Evaluation of the use of the central physician appointment system and patient satisfaction in a training and research hospital: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the usage status of the central physician appointment system (CPAS) by patients visiting the outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital and their level of satisfaction with the healthcare services they receive. The sample of this study consisted of 291 patients who received outpatient services at a tertiary healthcare institution in Malatya. The data collection form consisted of 2 sections. The data collection form consisted of 2 parts. The first section included sociodemographic information, and the second section included the Outpatient Satisfaction Scale. In the present study, 291 people participated, of whom 52.9% (n = 154) were female. The findings showed that 17.5% (n = 51) of the study group had no information about the appointment system. Those who had not yet made an appointment with CPAS (by themselves or anyone else) constituted 23.4% (n = 68) of the sample. In addition, 63.2% (n = 141) of those who had made an appointment at least once before this study had made their appointments online (CPAS). The average Outpatient Satisfaction Scale score of the group was 3.40. Gender and income affected patient satisfaction, but there was no significant correlation with other demographic variables. It was determined that the most satisfied issue was Effective Inspection. The least satisfied issue was the Waiting Time and Consultancy dimension.