Abstract
Purpose As one of the healthcare organizations striving to reach optimum quality level, King Abdulaziz Medical City staff believed that knowing the patients' service perspective is one core service quality indicator. This article aims to spotlight the level of patient satisfaction or dissatisfaction in one Riyadh tertiary centre. Designmethodologyapproach Crosssectional survey involving 1983 inpatient, outpatient and emergency care patients at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh using a selfdeveloped patient satisfaction questionnaire. Findings There was a significant satisfaction with room comfort 88.5 percent, room temperature 78.1 percent, room call button system 87.9 percent, room cleanliness 79.6 percent and respectful staff 87.4 percent. Patients were significantly dissatisfied with phlebotomists not introducing themselves 74 percent, not explaining procedures 57.2 percent and physicians not introducing themselves 59.1 percent. Research limitationsimplications Only the overall satisfaction dimensions were studied in a sociodemographic context. Not every service was studied separately, so the patients' answers may not represent the hospital. Practical implications It is recommended that service standards in the areas in which patients were significantly dissatisfied should be raised by involving senior leaders. Areas for which patients were significantly satisfied will need to be sustained or even improved. Originalityvalue So far no similar service quality and patient satisfaction based studies from Saudi health care systems are reported in international peer reviewed journals.