Patients wait for health checkups at a hospital in HCM City. — Photo hellobacsi

HÀ NỘI — The health ministry’s latest survey showed positive improvement in patient satisfaction towards medical services in Việt Nam in 2018.

The results of the health ministry’s survey, which evaluated the in-patient satisfaction level towards health check-ups and examination services, were revealed at a workshop on Thursday in Hà Nội.

The survey was conducted on 7,500 inpatients and their family members at 60 hospitals nationwide in 2018.

The survey showed that the average patient satisfaction index (PSI) in Việt Nam had reached 4.04/5, corresponding to the satisfaction level that patients have towards quality of medical examination and treatment services, which reached 80.8 percent of their expectation.

The survey showed that among 60 surveyed hospitals, 13 were rated as very good (making up 21.7 per cent), 26 as good (43.3 per cent) and 21 (35 per cent) as fair.

Compared to the survey results of nearly 3,000 inpatients in 29 public hospitals in 2017, the 2018 PSI improved positively.

The PSI 2018 reached 4.04/5 compared to 3.98/5 in the previous year.  This is an encouraging result in the context that the number of hospitals that expanded by 2018 was more than twice that of 2017.

Dr. Lương Ngọc Khuê, director of the health ministry’s Medical Services Administration, said the survey results were relatively consistent with hospital quality.

“The survey of patient satisfaction is implemented by hospitals every year. All suggestions and opinions of the patients are listened to and recorded,” said Khuê.

Khuê said that patient satisfaction surveys have been conducted widely in hospitals since 2015. It gained important results in gradually creating positive changes in the thinking and attitude of medical workers towards patients, as well as the quality of medical examination and treatment services at hospitals.

The PSI Patient Satisfaction Survey 2018 is the result of research cooperation between the Ministry of Health and experts from the Việt Nam Initiative Network, and Indiana University in the US, within the framework of the "Equitable Healthcare through PSI" project funded by Oxfam Vietnam, the Belgian Embassy and the Dutch Embassy. — VNS