Assessing Patient Satisfaction by Measuring Service Quality in Outpatient Service of a Public Hospital in Bagmati Province, Nepal.

Introduction: Patient satisfaction, a key healthcare objective, depends on various factors, including service quality (SERVQUAL), medication availability, staff behavior, cost, infrastructure, comfort, emotional support, and respect for preferences. Dissatisfaction arises when healthcare services fail to meet patients' expectations and perceptions. Therefore, this study aimed to determine patient satisfaction using a satisfaction-by-gap model. Materials and Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study randomly selected 311 patients visiting the outpatient department (OPD) using systematic sampling from a public hospital. Data were collected via interviewer-administered surveys using the SERVQUAL model. Correlation and multiple linear regression analyses conducted using IBM SPSS 16.0 revealed significant associations at p < 0.05. Results: The results indicated that 70.1% of the patients were female and 23.8% were in the 40-49 years age group. Moreover, 52.7% had visited the OPD four or more than four times. The results revealed gaps between patients' expectations and perceptions in all five dimensions. The findings suggest that among the five dimensions, tangible factors are the most important predictors of patient satisfaction. Patients are more likely to report higher levels of satisfaction when they perceive high levels of empathy, responsiveness, assurance, and reliability in healthcare services. Conclusion: This study assessed patient satisfaction by evaluating SERVQUAL in a public hospital in Bagmati Province, Nepal. Patients' perceptions of hospital services were significantly linked to overall satisfaction, with reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangible aspects of care being key predictors. Enhancing these areas can positively impact patient satisfaction and healthcare outcomes.