ANALYSIS OF THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE PATIENT SATISFACTION IN HEALTHCARE

The purpose of this study is to find out to what degree the hospitalized patients are satisfied with the physician-patient relationship and also with the quality of medical services offered by the medical unit. Also, another goal of the study is to increase awareness of the importance of satisfying patients' needs and expectations in the healthcare field. The perception of patient satisfaction was measured using the internal patient satisfaction questionnaires within the National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Prof. Dr. Matei Bal.", from Bucharest, Romania. Analyzing patient experience with both the medical unit and the physician is a powerful tool that helps practitioners to properly incorporate patient perspectives in service delivery and also improve patient satisfaction. Findings indicate that if the patients are satisfied with the services offered by the medical unit, they will definitely recommend the hospital to their friends in case of medical needs. Moreover, when patients have a good perception of the quality of medical services provided by both the physician and the medical unit, this has a positive impact on their satisfaction and their trust. High patient satisfaction and positive feedback from the patients are very powerful indicators that show the involvement of doctors and the efforts of the medical unit in treating patients and the importance of keeping them satisfied.