Rural resident’s satisfaction with primary health care in Hadim county of Konya, Turkey

Objective: Evaluation of patient satisfaction is widely used as a tool to measure healthcare quality. The aim of this study is to evaluate patient satisfaction with Family Health Centre services (FHC) in a village of Hadim county, Konya province, Turkey. Methods: This study was carried out in a rural area and data was collected using self-administered questionnaires and face-to-face interviews with people who live in Gezlevi village, Konya. Turkish versions of the Patients Evaluate General/Family Practice (EUROPEP) questionnaire was used. The study sample was randomly selected among adults (>18) who live in the village who visited the FMC within a one-year period. Results: The mean age of the 230 participants was 38.2 ± 1.1 years and ranged from 18 to 88 years. More than half of the participants were males (62.6%). A majority of the patients were satisfied for the domains: “the doctor listens to them, 96.5%”; “Physical examination, 96.1%”; “Keeping their records and data confidential, 90.4%”; “Enough time during consultation, 89.6%”; “Making it easy to tell him or her about their problem, 86.1%”. However, the participants were less satisfied with the domains: “Being able to speak to the GP on the telephone, 75.2%”; “Getting through to the practice on the telephone, 72.6%”; “Suitable appointment, 62.2%”; “Helping deal with emotional problems related to health status, 65.7%”; “involved in decisions about their medical care, 55.2%”. Conclusion: Overall satisfaction level was 78.7% with primary healthcare services. Among the investigated domains, highest satisfaction was observed in the ‘doctor–patient relationship’ while dissatisfaction was observed in the involvement of patients about decisions regarding their medical care.