Parental Satisfaction and Factors Affecting Parental Satisfaction at Pediatric Emergency Unit, Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Parental satisfaction is an important part of quality care. This is particularly true in emergency departments, whichuniquely cannot refuse patients, even when at full capacity. These departments are tasked with the rapid diagnosis and treatment of emergency patients. When parents are actively involved and content with the care their child receives in the hospital, it enhances their understanding of their child’s illness and adherence to the prescribed treatment plan. This study aimed to assess parental satisfaction and identify factors that affect parental satisfaction.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with parents who visited the pediatric emergency unit from June to September2022. Trained interns collected the data using a pretested self-administered questionnaire. We analyzed the data and calculatedfrequencies and percentages for all variables. Binary logistic regression was used to determine associated factors.Result: In this study, 52.8% of parents were overall satisfied with the emergency service. The highest satisfaction scores were forpatient care by doctors and nurses (54.2%), while the lowest scores were for the hospital environment and parental participation(49.6% and 45.4%, respectively). The regression analysis revealed that parental satisfaction was significantly associated withparents' age, occupation and the longer waiting time before seeing a doctor.Conclusion: The results showed that the hospital service met the mean expectations of half of the parents, but there weresignificant shortcomings in the hospital environment and the involvement of parents in the care process. The level of satisfactionamong parents varied depending on their age, occupation and the time they had to wait before seeing a doctor.