Analysis of patient satisfaction in in-patient department of paediatric care units

Objectives: To measure caregiver satisfaction levels in paediatric inpatient care units of private and government hospitals in Raichur. To compare the key factors influencing satisfaction between the two healthcare settings. Material and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional comparative study was conducted in Raichur City. Primary quantitative data were collected from 400 caregivers using a semi-structured questionnaire. A multistage sampling technique was used: hospitals were selected through simple random sampling and respondents were chosen using time period sampling during their child’s hospitalisation. The tool assessed domains such as admission process, staff responsiveness, quality of medical care, hospital environment, communication and discharge procedures. Results: The study assessed 400 caregivers of paediatric inpatients, 200 each from government and private hospitals in Raichur City, and found significantly higher satisfaction in private hospitals across 24 service-related parameters ( P < 0.001). Most respondents were mothers (98.5%) and the majority of the hospitalised children were under five, indicating a high burden of early childhood illness. Caregivers in government hospitals reported dissatisfaction with long waiting times, poor cleanliness, inadequate communication and limited medicine availability. In contrast, private hospitals received consistently higher mean satisfaction scores, with timely consultations, courteous staff, better infrastructure and more consistent service delivery. These findings underscore a clear caregiver preference for private hospitals and highlight the urgent need for improvements in infrastructure, staffing and service quality in government facilities to ensure equitable and effective paediatric care. Conclusion: Private hospitals in Raichur consistently outperformed government hospitals across all parameters of paediatric inpatient care. They demonstrated significantly higher satisfaction scores and more consistent service delivery. Key strengths included better reception services, shorter wait times, clearer communication, higher staff competency and improved cleanliness and infrastructure. These findings highlight a need for targeted improvements in government hospitals to bridge the service quality gap and ensure equitable paediatric care.