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Patient satisfaction with obstetric ultrasonography.

Article Excerpt
Because of ongoing health sector reform in Nigeria, which emphasizes health care delivery based on a service compact between the government and the governed, there is a need to assess patients' levels of satisfaction with diagnostic tests such as ultrasound examinations. This study investigated patient satisfaction ratings with obstetric ultrasound based on variables that medical ultrasound practitioners can influence, including explanations provided (ie, patient-staff interaction or ultrasound feedback), time from arrival to departure, perceptions of the center itself and patients' comfort while on the scanning couch. We believe that findings from this study could affect sonographers' attitudes and the educational policies and curriculum for their profession.

Literature Review

Several studies have investigated patient satisfaction with obstetric ultrasound examinations. Some of these studies (1-3) investigated variables such as marital status, spousal support, problems with previous pregnancies, previous infertility, anxiety about tests, emotional attachment to the fetus, student involvement in the procedures, gestational age, why the patient came to the hospital and having enough time with health care professionals, among others. Similarly, studies of patient satisfaction with breast screening by mammography have gone beyond investigating pain during the mammogram to consider situational factors such as the perception of privacy at the imaging center, the explanations provided4 and the process from arrival at the center to departure. (5)

Research has shown that couples who have experienced infertility problems have a higher level of anxiety about prenatal diagnostic tests, (6) and their degree of satisfaction with the tests is lower as a consequence] It also has been shown that patient satisfaction with prenatal diagnosis is influenced by factors such as age, marital status, racial background and whether the spouse or other family member was present during the procedure. (1,7,8) Another finding has shown that demonstrating the fetus with ultrasound is related to increased feelings of attachment to the fetus on the mother's part. (2) These feelings likely have significance for the woman's satisfaction with the examination. Finally, Reid made the connection between information factors and patient satisfaction. (7) She stated that 4 types of information should be explained to the patient to lessen anxiety associated with prenatal tests: the purpose of the test, the actual procedure, the risks involved and the implications of the test.

Materials and Methods

A self-completion questionnaire was designed and 25 copies were sent to each of 4 ultrasound centers in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Questionnaires were used for data collection due to the geographic spread and the resources available.

Questionnaire Design

The questionnaire was designed to elicit both quantitative and qualitative data to gather factual and attitudinal information. It contained 10 questions (both openended and closed-ended), divided into 3 sections. These sections related to:

* Demographic data.

* Rating of factors affecting patient satisfaction.

* Patients' preference for male vs female sonographers.

The length of time from arrival to departure was assessed with a 5-point Likert scale, with 1 indicating very short and 5 indicating extremely...

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