Assessing Client Satisfaction with Maternal Health Delivery Services at Tamale West Hospital, Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Client satisfaction is generally considered to be one of the main factors that reflect the quality of healthcare provision, as well as a main factor that determines the use of maternal healthcare services. Concerns over the quality and responsiveness of maternal health services continue to be raised in a large number of health facilities in Ghana despite efforts to improve maternal health outcomes in the country. Assessing client satisfaction not only shows how well service delivery is working but also points out areas where improvements are needed. This research work evaluates client satisfaction with maternal health services at Tamale West Hospital in the Northern Region of Ghana. A facility-based cross-sectional study was undertaken among 60 women who received maternal health services at Tamale West Hospital. The instruments for data collection included structured questionnaires and interview questionnaire items that were adapted from the maternal healthcare satisfaction instruments, which had been previously validated. Descriptive statistics were employed to cover demographic characteristics of respondents, and also to account for satisfaction levels at different service dimensions such as provider competence, communication, accessibility, and availability of medical resources. Pearson correlation analysis was used to test for the existence of any correlation between selected service delivery factors and observed maternal health outcomes. Overall, respondents reported that they are quite satisfied with the maternal health services. Very high average satisfaction scores have been recorded for both healthcare workers' competence and respectful treatment of clients. However, on the other hand, very low satisfaction levels have been reported with regard to the availability of medical equipment and waiting times for services. The statistical test showed a strong correlation between perceived service accessibility and maternal health outcomes. The findings suggest that although maternal health service delivery at Tamale West Hospital is generally viewed positively by the clients, improvements in healthcare infrastructure and resource availability are needed to further enhance client satisfaction and also to create a better quality of the maternal health services. However, the research is constrained to some extent by the small number of participants and the use of non-random sampling methods, which might render the findings less generalisable. Future studies using bigger and more representative samples are recommended.