DOES EXPERIENCE HAVE A POSITIVE PATIENT SATISFACTION DURING THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC?

Abstract

This study was conducted with an aim to have an in-depth understanding of the effect of
customer experience on patient satisfaction in government district hospitals in
Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe. The province has four government district hospitals in
Manicaland Province namely Rusape General Hospital, Chipinge District Hospital,
Hauna District Hospital and Nyanga District Hospital. Data were collected from these
hospitals using face to face interviews and self-administered questionnaire. Three
hundred and seventy-nine (379) participants were surveyed. More than half of the
participants had positive emotional experiences and felt better even before taking their
medications. The majority had positive social experiences with at least 70% reported that
staff members were friendly, and would interact and explain procedures to patients before
and during service delivery. Positive cognitive experiences were reported by the majority
with 66.9% of the participants saying the services they received were impressive. Despite
having favourable physical experiences, almost half of the participants were displeased
by shortages of medicines and medical supplies, and 44.6% also said the waiting time for
services was too long. Overall, more than three quarters of the participants were satisfied
with the service provision and said they would definitely come back for services when
the need arises in future. In conclusion, positive patient experiences led to patient
satisfaction whilst negative or unfavourable patient experiences caused dissatisfaction.