Patient Satisfaction Survey 2010

14 Apr 2011

1 Public hospitals, polyclinics and national specialty centres continued to score favorably with the public with a strong showing in overall satisfaction level. Nearly 8 out of 10 patients (76%) gave them the thumbs up, and as many (79%) said they would recommend the services of public healthcare institutions to others.

2 The polyclinics also improved on their previous performance in 2009. Overall satisfaction with the National Healthcare Group Polyclinics (NHGP) edged up 7%-points to 80% and for the SingHealth polyclinics (SHP), by 6%-points to 75%.  Recommendation level for NHGP was at its all time high at 80% and for SHP at 72%.

3 The Patient Satisfaction Survey 2010 results were confirmed by an independent survey company commissioned by the Ministry of Health. Nearly 12,000 patients participated in the survey from September to December 2010. This is the seventh MOH Patient Satisfaction Survey conducted to assess the level of patient satisfaction, compare performance among the healthcare institutions, and to gather suggestions for continual service improvement.  

4 Patients were asked to rate their level of satisfaction with the institutions, and whether they would recommend the services to other patients. In particular, they were asked to assess their perceptions based on the following nine service quality attributes:

    a. Facilities

    b. Care coordination

    c. Knowledge and skills of doctors

    d. Care and concern shown by doctors

    e. Knowledge and skills of nurses

    f. Care and concern shown by nurses

    g. Knowledge and skills of allied health professionals

    h. Care and concern shown by allied health professionals

    i. Clear explanation by staff on the procedures and care

Survey results

Overall Satisfaction Level

5 In the 2010 survey, 76% of the patients rated their overall satisfaction rating as “excellent” or “good” (Chart 1).

Willingness To Recommend

6 Based on their experience, patients were asked if they would recommend the healthcare institutions to others. 79% of the patients said that they would “strongly recommend” or “likely to recommend” (Chart 2).

Comparison Among Public Healthcare Institutions

A)   Public Hospitals

7 Among the hospitals; Khoo Teck Puat Hospital achieved the best results at 82%. This is followed by Tan Tock Seng Hospital which made the largest improvement of 8%-points to 78%. Alexandra Hospital’s performance of 77% was third (Table 1).

8 There were variations in satisfaction level as perceived by patients between emergency departments (A&E), specialist outpatient clinics (SOC) and wards as shown in Table 2.

9 Four hospitals; Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (87%), KK Women's and Children's Hospital (83%), Tan Tock Seng Hospital (82%) and Alexandra Hospital (81%) had scored above 80% when their patients were asked if they would be willing to recommend their services to others (Table 3).

(B)  National Specialty Centres

10 Among the national specialty centres, Institute of Mental Health (94%), National Skin Centre (83%) and National Neuroscience Institute (78%) led the way with their patients expressing overall satisfaction (Table 4).

11 When asked whether they would recommend the national specialty centres to other patients, all centres achieved rating of 75% and better (Table 5).

(C)  Polyclinics

12 The top three institutions among the polyclinics were Clementi, Toa Payoh and Bukit Batok for overall satisfaction. More than 9 in 10 patients (91%) rated Clementi and Toa Payoh polyclinics highly (Table 6). 

13 Sengkang was top for attribute on willingness to recommend, followed by Hougang and Bukit Batok as shown in Table 7.

Conclusion

14 The strong showing by the public healthcare institutions in 2010 reflects the high level of public confidence in our public healthcare, despite higher customer expectations. 

15 However, waiting times for admission, to consult a doctor and at pharmacy remain areas for further improvement. MOH and the healthcare institutions will work together to enhance operational management through computerization to improve on waiting times. We will also expand the number of healthcare professionals to meet patients’ demand for longer consultation and diverse needs.

16 The annual Patient Satisfaction Survey serves to encourage hospitals, national specialty centres and polyclinics to constantly improve their services and address the key concerns of patients.