Quality evaluation of the dental service rendered by a private university: the users’ point of view - doi:10.5020/18061230.2005.p171

Abstract

The user’s satisfaction must be the main goal of all health services. Through the evaluation of the patients’ satisfaction, data regarding their expectations can be obtained, the service’s failures can be detected and solution for improvements can be made. This descriptive and cross-sectional study aimed at evaluating the satisfaction of the users of the Fortaleza University Dentistry Course. In this research, a process evaluation was accomplished emphasizing the characteristics related to the appointment, such as the professionalpatient relationship, and informations, including the users’ opinion regarding the services’ reception and range. Questionnaires and systematic observations were applied during the attendance at the clinics of Surgery and Endodontics. The data showed that 96.22% of the patients trusted the attendance done by the students, whom they all considered as having a satisfactory interpersonal relationship. The systematic observations confirmed the users’ responses. It was concluded that there is satisfaction on the part of a great number of users in relation to the quality of the dental services rendered by the Fortaleza University Dentistry Course, but the attendance may still be improved, especially in what concerns the delay in fixing the patient’s first appointment and the number of unnecessary returns to the services.