Application of Modified Poisson Regression Analysis in Assessing Patients’ Satisfaction: Insights from SERVQUAL Data at KCMC Referral Hospital, Tanzania

Patient satisfaction is a key indicator of healthcare service quality and an important component in evaluating health system performance, particularly within referral hospitals in low-resource settings like Tanzania. This interdisciplinary study was conducted at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) Referral Hospital to assess outpatient satisfaction using the SERVQUAL framework. A stratified random sampling technique was employed to ensure proportional representation of patients across various outpatient clinics. Within each clinic stratum, participants were selected using simple random sampling. Outpatients were evaluated across five service quality dimensions: tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. Modified Poisson regression analysis was applied to examine associations between patient satisfaction and selected demographic and service-related variables. The results revealed that effective communication with healthcare providers (RR = 1.246, <i>p</i> = 0.008) and the availability of prescribed medications (RR = 1.093, <i>p</i> = 0.009) were significantly associated with higher satisfaction. Conversely, patients aged 46 years and above reported lower satisfaction levels (RR = 0.903, <i>p</i> = 0.002). Additionally, more than half of the respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the waiting time for services. While overall satisfaction with outpatient services was generally positive, the findings underscore the need for targeted improvements, particularly in reducing waiting times. This study highlights the value of integrating robust statistical modeling and service quality frameworks to generate actionable insights for enhancing patient-centered care in sub-Saharan African referral hospitals.