Keywords
patient satisfaction
quality of care
health centres
provincial health division
Kwango
How to Cite
Abstract
NOTICE OF CORRIGENDUM
A Corrigendum for this article was published on October 9, 2026 in Orapuh Journal, Volume 7, Issue 9. The authors updated the article to refine the satisfaction threshold scale, clarify sampling parameters, correct sociodemographic figures in Table 1, realign dimension categories in Table 3, and add standard compliance declarations (AI usage, authors' contributions, data availability, and funding).
The primary findings and conclusions of the study remain unchanged. The corrected version of the full-text article is reflected below, and the formal Corrigendum notice can be accessed here: https://doi.org/10.4314/orapj.v7i9.82.
__________________________________________
Introduction
Patient satisfaction is a critical performance indicator used to evaluate the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of care in healthcare facilities, directly impacting service utilization and attendance. In the health centers of the Kwango Provincial Health Division (Democratic Republic of the Congo), patient dissatisfaction with the quality of care remains a persistent operational challenge.
Purpose
The objective of this study was to evaluate the level of patient satisfaction regarding the quality of healthcare offered across health centers in the Kwango Provincial Health Division.
Methods
An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 384 patients selected via simple random sampling across 21 health centers in seven health zones. Data were collected through structured face-to-face interviews using an adapted SERVQUAL questionnaire administered via the KoboCollect mobile application. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 26) to generate descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages. Satisfaction levels were categorized using an author-defined four-tier classification benchmark.
Results
The overall patient satisfaction level across the Provincial Health Division was low. Out of 384 respondents, 196 patients (51.0%) reported being satisfied, whereas 188 patients (49.0%) were dissatisfied with the quality of care received. While privacy (66.6%) and affordability (67.9%) achieved moderate satisfaction, critical operational dimensions—including waiting times (47.1%), handwashing facility availability (45.5%), and caregiver collaboration (46.0%)—exhibited very low satisfaction levels.
Conclusion
Patient satisfaction in health centers within the Kwango Provincial Health Division remains suboptimal. Enhancing quality of care requires integrating patient satisfaction metrics into routine monitoring and evaluation frameworks, improving hygiene and facility infrastructure, and strengthening supervision by health zone management teams over healthcare providers.
References
Adamou, H., Magagi, I. A., Habou, O., Halidou, M., Karimou, S., Sani, R., & Abarchi, H. (2017). Satisfaction des patients, élément important dans la globalité des soins : Cas d’un service des urgences chirurgicales au Niger. Mali Médical, (2). https://drive.google.com/file/d/17X-x8VlVOUi2bK2LV00hm-68eKBd-BLA/view
Blondel, B. (s. d.). Satisfaction des patients sur les soins non programmés : Étude quantitative en maisons de santé pluriprofessionnelles universitaires normandes.
Diallo, B. (2021). Étude des facteurs de la satisfaction des usagers du service de chirurgie générale du CHU Gabriel Touré à Bamako. Mali Santé Publique, 44, 44–49.
Didier, C. K., Anastasie, K. M., Ezéchiel, M. L., Laeticia, E. L., Trésor, K. K., Antho, M. A., Vincent, N. M., & Mukalayi, A. M. W. (s. d.). Accueil des usagers à la première ligne des soins en milieu urbain : Appréciation et suggestions des usagers au Centre de Santé d’Apprentissage et de Recherche Tshamilemba (CSART) à Lubumbashi, RD Congo. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/613701193.pdf
Gerbaud, L., Laurens-Belgacem, B., Antoniotti, S., Auquier, P., Couturier, P., & Glanddier, P. Y. (2002). L’utilisation des questionnaires de sortie : Une enquête auprès de sept centres hospitaliers. Santé Publique, 14(1), 21–30.
Mbuku, E. N., Aloki, A. O., Ilundu, O. N., Ntambu, R. N., Rutemba, E. B., & Nkubu, D. N. (2025). Évaluation de l’utilisation des services et des soins de santé dans la zone de santé de Kenge. International Journal of Accounting, Finance, Auditing, Management and Economics, 6(3), 448–461.
Meda, Z. C., Konate, I., Tougouma, J. B., Diallo, B., Zoungrana, J., Koura, M., Birba, E., Poda, A., Savadogo, L. G., & Sombie, I. (2019). Évaluation de la satisfaction des patients hospitalisés dans les services du département de médecine du Centre hospitalier universitaire Souro Sanou (CHUSS) de Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. Sciences de la Santé, 42(1), 43–56.
Mendoza Aldana, J., Piechulek, H., & Al-Sabir, A. (2001). Satisfaction des patients et qualité des soins dans les zones rurales du Bangladesh. Bulletin de l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé, 5, 65–70. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/70997/RA_2001_5_65-70_fre.pdf
Mpembele, C. K. (2020). Les mères de la zone de santé de N’Djili, en République démocratique du Congo, sont-elles satisfaites des soins maternels reçus ? https://papyrus.bib.umontreal.ca/xmlui/handle/1866/24550
Nguyen Thi, P. L., Lê, T. G., Empereur, F., & Briançon, S. (2002). Satisfaction des patients hospitalisés à Hô Chi Minh-Ville, Viet Nam. Santé Publique, (4), 345–360.
Sanogo, B., Diarra, B., & Sangho, H. (2019). Le niveau de satisfaction des patients hospitalisés dans le district sanitaire de Koutiala au Mali en 2019. Mali Santé Publique, 57–65.
Yamba, M. K. Y., Mashinda, D. K., Kayembe, J.-M. N., Onyamboko, M. A., & Nyandwe, J. K. (2018). Évaluation de la qualité des soins aux Cliniques universitaires de Kinshasa : Étude de satisfaction des patients hospitalisés. Annales Africaines de Médecine, 11(3), e2926–e2935.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Richard NKWAHATA NTAMBU, Mado MAYAMBA MUNGWELE, Wedi Josue Onoya, Odon Nswele Ilundu , Emmanuel Kasongo Mungongo , Christophe Masimango Gasha