Primary Health Care in South West Nigeria: Evaluating service quality and patients' satisfaction

Primary health care (PHC) is a fundamental, cost-effective approach in delivering essential healthcare services to achieve quality life for all. This study assesses service quality and patient satisfaction in the PHC sector in South West Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling approach was adopted which resulted in data collection from 239 respondents and the SERVQUAL measurement tool underpinned the quality of service delivery assessment. To this end, this study revealed that PHC service utilizers were not satisfied with the quality of service in terms of any of the dimensions assessed (assurance, reliability, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness). Patients were particularly dissatisfied in terms of tangibles, reliability and assurance. In addition, the study found that tangibles, assurance, reliability and empathy have a significant relationship with patient satisfaction. The study concludes that PHC service providers need to pay particular attention to the gaps in order to deliver high service quality and improve overall patient satisfaction. This can be achieved by the provision of modern equipment, employment of more staff for prompt service delivery and training of existing health personnel to deliver better services.