The perception of students towards administration of health services at the Durban University of Technology’s Durban campus clinic

Abstract

Healthcare that does not satisfy the patient is usually less effective because less satisfied patients tend not to comply with instructions, they take longer to follow up with appointments and they have a poor understanding of their medical condition. The provision of overall quality healthcare for patients is a key motivation for many service providers. Surveys of service delivery towards healthcare satisfaction form an essential role in assessing public opinion of the service provided. Thus, the evaluation of the service provided by a clinic can be reflected in the degree of satisfaction perceived by individuals receiving the services. There is a paucity of literature on students’ satisfaction with health care facilities at institutions of higher learning and there is no known research conducted on service delivery at the DUT health clinics. This study intended to identify areas of service delivery at the DUT health clinics that may require improvement and to make recommendations to improve service delivery. The purpose of this study was also to identify the quality of service dimensions that play an important role in patient’s (students’) satisfaction at the Isolempilo Health Clinic at DUT, to measure student satisfaction of the service delivery and to make recommendations for improvement. The objectives of the study were to identify the students’ experiences of service delivery at the Isolempilo Health Clinic at DUT, to investigate the challenges/barriers experienced by students when accessing healthcare at the Isolempilo Health Clinic in DUT and to recommend ways to improve service delivery to students. This study used quantitative research methods to establish students’ experiences and perceptions of service delivery at the Isolempilo Health Clinic. Convenience sampling was used and data was collected in a form of close-ended questionnaire. Questionnaires were completed by a total of 120 students who visited the clinic for medical care constituted during the data collection period. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 24 software was used to capture participant’s information obtained from the questionnaires and it was used to analyse the data. Findings show that areas that demonstrated particularly high satisfaction are confidentiality of information, referral systems to other health care such as hospitals, the HIV Testing and Counselling and the language of communication. On the other hand, areas that revealed lower degrees of satisfaction are branding of the clinic and visibility of the clinic the booking system, operational hours and selling of commodities such as pregnancy tests. This study adds value as it recommends ways to improve service delivery at the Isolempilo Health Clinic.