The present study was conducted to explore the influence of increase in the number of medical consumers on their satisfaction with medical conditions and facilities since launching of the nationwide national health insurance system and introduction of "separation of dispensary from medical practice". Among the patients hospitalized in the reference hospitals in county areas of Jeonbuk province, 398 were selected and their replies were put to final analysis for the purpose of this study.
The results of the survey could be summed up as follows:
In terms of general characters of the surveyed and their satisfaction with the service rendered by medical institutions, the highest points were scored by males, ages from 21 to 30, graduates or undergraduates, and residents in town and city areas visiting for internal disease. The prior reason for hospital visit was found to be because the hospital is located nearby. Most patients visit the hospital about once a month and are satisfied with clinical conditions generally. They rated, however, as just ordinary the general services provided by hospitals like the quality of food, cleanness of supplies including wears and bed clothes, space for rest, shower rooms, lavatories, water supply, conveniences like kiosks, public telephones and vending machine, personal drawers, parking lot, and medical equipment and appliances.
From the findings, it becomes evident that the consumers utilizing reference hospitals in county areas find their environments and service fairly satisfactory but are not fully content with extra-clinic conditions like quality of meal served, cleanness of wears and bed clothes, space for rest (shower rooms, lavatories and water supply), conveniences (kiosks, public telephones and vending machine), personal drawers, parking lot, etc.
It is therefore seriously requested for central and provincial governments to work out dramatic measures to funnel all investments for medical facilities that have been focused on large cities into local and rural areas so that the people in the areas can also enjoy good quality of medical service.
Consequently, every medical institution is expected to keenly analyze the changing demand of consumers and its internal as well as external situations and, based on the analysis, develop new service or modify usual behavior to readily respond to the needs of patients.
|