Author(s): Azuike EC, Adinma ED, Umeh UM, Njelita IA, Anemeje OA and Aniemena RC
Background: Patient satisfaction is very important in healthcare because a satisfied patient will be more cooperative with the medical team. Management of a chronic disease like HIV also needs as much cooperation from clients as possible because the treatment is for life. Waiting time has been reported by several studies as a major determinant of satisfaction in health facilities.
Aim: This study determined and compared clients’ satisfaction with waiting time at urban and rural HIV treatment centers in Anambra State, Nigeria.
Methods: This is a comparative descriptive study. Data were collected using quantitative methods. A semistructured, pre-tested, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on satisfaction with waiting time from clients at the urban and rural HIV treatment centers in Anambra State Nigeria. Data were analyzed with the SPSS version 20 software and summarized using proportions and means, and were presented in tables for easy appreciation.
Results: A total of 1,100 respondents (550 each from the urban and rural HIV treatment centers) participated in this study. There were more females than males in both the urban 363(66.0%) and rural centers 355 (64.5%). The commonest age group among the urban respondents was the age group 21-30 years, 170 (30.9%); the same age group was also the commonest among the rural respondents 240 (43.6%). The mean age of the urban respondents 37.09 (± 10.00) was higher than the mean age of the rural respondents 34.99 (± 10.71). A higher proportion of the respondents that were satisfied with waiting time were urban respondents 405 (69.2%), compared with the 180 (30.8%) rural respondents that were satisfied. (X2=184.839, p=0.000). The urban respondents were four times more likely to be satisfied with waiting time compared with the rural respondents [OR: 4.139 (95% CI: 2.945-5.817)].
Conclusion: The clients in the urban HIV treatment centers were more satisfied with the waiting time than the clients in the rural HIV treatment centers. Appropriate interventions should be instituted to reduce the waiting time of clients in the rural centers.
