EVALUATION OF USER'S SATISFACTION WITH ORTHOTIC AND PROSTHETIC DEVICES AND SERVICES IN ORTHOTICS AND PROSTHETICS CENTER OF IRAN UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES

BACKGROUND: The number of patients receiving orthotics and prosthetic services is increasing globally. A way to investigate patients’ insight about services provided to them is to evaluate their satisfaction with the received services. Furthermore, incorporating patients’ preferences into practice is an inseparable part of evidence-based practice. Applying such information in practice can contribute to the enhancement of the quality of services, the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions, and finally, the economic growth of service centers.

OBJECTIVE(S): To evaluate patients’ satisfaction with the orthotic and prosthetic devices and services provided by the orthotics and prosthetics clinic of Iran University of Medical Sciences.

METHODOLOGY: In this study, 173 people referring to the orthotics and prosthetics clinic of Iran University of Medical Sciences were recruited, and their satisfaction level was examined using the Orthotics and Prosthetics Users’ Survey questionnaire (OPUS) through a phone interview.

FINDINGS: Concerning the devices, the mean value of total satisfaction score was 74:00±19.80 and the highest score belonged to no wear or rupture of the clothes with their devices (mean value = 4.76±0.84). In terms of services, the mean value of total satisfaction score was 72.12 ± 15.90 with the highest score belonging to the politeness of the clinic staff (mean value = 4.92±0.57). When the time point from receiving service was taken into account, the patients who received the service for less than a year showed higher satisfaction level with the service (p=0.024). Although satisfaction with the device was slightly higher among the participants who used the devices for more than a year, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of device satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS: The overall satisfaction level from the devices and services was relatively high. However, the satisfaction level with the costs and coordination of the staff with the physicians showed a decline.

Layman's Abstract

Satisfaction assessment in health management can provide the information required for the improvement of health care services. We investigated the satisfaction level of patients who received an orthosis and or prosthesis at the orthotics and prosthetics center, Iran University of Medical Sciences. The Orthotics and Prosthetics Users’ survey (OPUS) was used to assess the satisfaction level of the patients with their devices and or received services. Patients were asked to answer to items of OPUS. If the patients were younger than ten, parents were asked to respond instead of them. The answers indicated that the overall satisfaction of patients with the received devices and services provided by this orthotics and prosthetics center was high. The answers also revealed that the time point from receiving services had a significant effect on satisfaction with the service, so that the participants who received the service for less than a year were more satisfied with the services.

Article PDF Link: https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/cpoj/article/view/37981/29733