Patient-Reported Experiences and Satisfaction with Rural Outreach Clinics in New South Wales, Australia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Many studies have been conducted on how physicians view outreach health services, yet few have explored how rural patients view these services. This study aimed to examine the patient experience and satisfaction with outreach health services in rural NSW, Australia and the factors associated with satisfaction. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among patients who visited outreach health services between December 2020 and February 2021 across rural and remote New South Wales, Australia. Data on patient satisfaction were collected using a validated questionnaire. Both bivariate (chi-squared test) and multivariate analyses (logistic regression) were performed to identify the factors associated with the outcome variable (patient satisfaction). Results: A total of 207 participants were included in the study. The mean age of respondents was 58.6 years, and 50.2% were men. Ninety-three percent of all participants were satisfied with the outreach health services. Respectful behaviours of the outreach healthcare practitioners were significantly associated with the higher patient satisfaction attending outreach clinics. Conclusions: The current study demonstrated a high level of patient satisfaction regarding outreach health services in rural and remote NSW, Australia. Further, our study findings showed the importance of collecting data about patient satisfaction to strengthen outreach service quality.

Patient‐reported experiences and satisfaction with head and neck surgery outreach clinics in regional New South Wales, Australia: A cross‐sectional survey

“…Together, these findings suggest that patients value the regional outreach service and provide support for ongoing provision of the service. The high levels of satisfaction are consistent with a 2022 study by Islam and colleagues, 11 in which 93% of participants were satisfied with the regional outreach services they utilised. Among the patients with cancer surveyed in this study, almost half reported at least one ongoing symptom or side effect of cancer.…”

“…In Australia, the Rural Doctor's Network (RDN) perform annual surveys of patients visiting outreach clinics to evaluate services and for quality improvement. Results from a survey administered by the RDN from December 2020 to February 2021 reported high satisfaction with services at the outreach clinics, with 93% of the 207 participants indicating they were satisfied, with behaviour of the health professional a strong predictor of overall patient satisfaction 11 . In New South Wales (NSW), the most populous state of Australia, the Bureau of Health Information (NSW BHI) began surveying patients on their experience of the public healthcare system in 2012 as part of the NSW Patient Survey Programme.…”