Patients’ attitudes toward national healthcare system

Abstract

Studies on patient satisfaction for healthcare service quality and access are a very important part of the overall evaluation of healthcare system and the basis for the forming of national healthcare policy. The aim of the study was to identify the perception on quality of healthcare system through the opinion of the Romanian patients. In order to evaluate the level of satisfaction with the healthcare system in general and its components, a descriptive research was performed. The data were gathered using face-to-face interviews with patients, based on a questionnaire. The study reveals that for the analysed period 14% of the sample never used the Romanian healthcare system and 36% used it ones. 65% of the sample used the healthcare system between 1 to 3 times and 63% of the respondents do not trust the system. The majority of the Romanian patients (84.65%) take into account the doctors opinion in the case of illness. The conditions and facilitators offered in the Romanian hospitals are perceived at a low level. More than a half of the investigated respondents are unsatisfied and very unsatisfied in respect with the overall impression of the Romanian healthcare system. The research reveals a strong statistically significant relationship between confidence and overall impression of the healthcare system and the age and studies.