Determinants of satisfaction with health care system: a population-based study from Iran

Satisfaction with health care system is an important indicator of health care delivery effectiveness. It could contribute to both policy and practice. This study aimed to examine Iranians’ satisfaction with health care. This was a nationwide cross sectional study. A random sample of individuals aged between 18 and 65 years were entered into the study. Respondents were asked to rate their overall satisfaction with health care system on a 5-point-likert scale. The record of demographic and socioeconomic data included age, gender, education, marital status, employment, income, and chronic diseases. Logistic regression analysis used to estimate odds ratios to indicate factors contributing to satisfaction with health care system. In all, 27,833 individuals examined in this study. The mean age of respondents was 32.7 (SD=11.8) years old. Overall 20.7 % of the respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the health care delivery system while 36.2 % of people indicated low or no satisfaction with health care system. The regression analysis results indicated that income (a proxy measure of access to health care), and information variable were the most significant factors contributing to people's dissatisfaction (OR for lower income=2.17, P<0.0001; OR for people with poor health information=2.01, P<0.001). The study findings suggest that access to health care and information would lead to improved people's satisfaction with health care system.