User Satisfaction of the Brazilian University Hospital: Study in a Unit in the Midwest Region

Abstract

The perception of quality is based on objective and subjective criteria. Therefore, this study assesses the satisfaction of users of a Brazilian university hospital, which serves patients only and exclusively from the Brazilian Unified Health System. It is a quantitative and descriptive research. For this purpose, 659 interviews were carried out, using a form, collected over an interval of 13 months with users in hospital beds in the area of medical clinic. For the tabulation and analysis of the results, the SPSS v20 software was used. Four dimensions were defined for the analysis: sociodemographic characteristics of users; perceived quality of care provided by hospital professionals; services; and resolvability. The evidence shows that the satisfactions concern the humanitarian aspects of the doctor-patient relationship and the dissatisfactions refer to the support facilities and services (middle activity) offered by the investigated hospital. However, such dissatisfaction is not enough to reflect negatively on the institution's opinions and recommendations. Expansion of assessments to other institutions is recommended in order to build comparisons with a view to improving the system.

Keywords

• user satisfaction
• quality of services
• university hospital
• health system