Relationship between Quality of the Referral Chain of Hospital Services and Patient Satisfaction

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between quality of the referral chain of hospital services and patient satisfaction in Kerman, Iran.

METHODS: The study was quantitative-qualitative and crosses-sectional, conducted during August-October, 2015 in a hospital in Kerman, Iran. Two questionnaires were used in the study. During data collection, 115 patients were referred from a public hospital to an imaging center for imaging services that quality of the referral chain and satisfaction were studied. The quality of referral change was completed by the head nurses of the hospital. Satisfaction from referral service was assessed by the patient. In order to investigate the correlation between patient satisfaction and the supply chain quality and its domains the Pearson correlation test was conducted.

FINDINGS: The average score of quality of the referral chain was 4.53 out of 5 with a standard deviation of 0.45. The average score of patient satisfaction from the referred services was 4.12 out of 5, with a standard deviation of 0.52. “Provision of information to patients” got the highest average and “effective communication” the least among the dimensions of quality of the referral chain. There was a significant relationship between the quality of referral chain and patient satisfaction from the referred services.

CONCLUSION: Participation of all suppliers in the supply chain can create an atmosphere of sincere cooperation between the organizations. Long-term plans should be established to set cooperation among supply chain parties, i.e. hospitals and satellite labs and imaging centers.