Patient dissatisfaction in public and private healthcare organizations: the influence of individual characteristics

Consumer satisfaction/dissatisfaction is becoming a key indicator of the quality of medical services and the effectiveness of health systems. The purpose of this study was to examine the level of dissatisfaction with received medical care and the individual factors associated with it among patients in public and private health care institutions. The information base of the study was a Sample observation of the health status of the population conducted by Rosstat in 2023 and covered a total of just over 120 thousand respondents, of which participants over 18 years of age who used health services during the past 12 months (about 90 thousand) were selected for further analysis. Patient dissatisfaction was considered as a dependent variable in multivariate logistic regressions. Socio-demographical and economical characteristics of the survey participants, their health characteristics and place of residence were used as independent variables. It was found that a significant proportion of patients were satisfied with the medical care they received, while the level of dissatisfaction was higher in public health organizations (21,8%) than in private ones (7,6%). Women, older respondents, those who were married and/or had children under 18, who have received secondary or higher education, were employed in the private sector of the economy or had their own business, had poor health and complains about poor financial situation, lived in the city and in such Federal Districts as Siberian, Far Eastern, Southern, Northwestern, Volga, were more likely to express dissatisfaction with the medical care received in public health organizations. While dissatisfaction with services in private institutions was associated with only five factors: age, health, financial situation, type of settlement and district of residence. The reasons for dissatisfaction with medical services in public and private health organizations were compared. Population groups dissatisfied with medical care for specific reasons were identified.