Patient Experience of Primary Health Care Users in KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate Patient Experience in primary health clinics in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). A quantitative study approach included 280 participants. The descriptive cross sectional study utilised a self-administered questionnaire as the research instrument, which was distributed to the target population of primary health care (PHC) users. The overall Patient Experience-Satisfaction showed that more than half of the respondents were not satisfied with the current Patient Experience in the primary health clinic. There was a significant association with age and the overall Patient Experience-Satisfaction (p<0.05). Older patients indicate a favourable Patient Experience when compared to younger patients, who are more critical of the Patient Experience elicited in primary health clinics. The results showed that gender did not significantly affect the overall Patient Experience-Satisfaction (p=0.957). Race significantly affected Patient Experience (p value = 0.011) with black respondents having a significantly lower mean rank of Patient Experience when compared to Indian respondents. There was an overall negative perception toward the Patient Experience elicited in users. There is an urgent need to review the service delivery of clinics. The need for a Patient Experience Model is highlighted for the health sector in South Africa.