Patient Satisfaction with Physical Therapy Care: A Cross-Sectional Study
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Abstract
Background: Patient satisfaction is an important indicator of healthcare quality and a key patient-reported outcome in physical therapy because it reflects the extent to which care is respectful, communicative, and responsive to patient expectations. In outpatient rehabilitation settings, satisfaction is shaped not only by treatment effectiveness but also by therapist-patient interaction, communication quality, and organizational aspects of service delivery. Objective: To evaluate the level of patient satisfaction with physical therapy care among patients attending outpatient departments in Karachi and to identify demographic and service-related factors associated with overall satisfaction. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted among 340 patients aged 14 to 80 years who had attended at least three physical therapy sessions in outpatient departments of different hospitals and clinics in Karachi. Data were collected using the MedRisk patient satisfaction questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis, group comparisons, and multiple linear regression were performed using SPSS. Results: The mean total satisfaction score was 46.33 ± 4.46 out of 60, indicating generally high satisfaction. Therapist respect and home instructions showed the highest mean item scores (4.50 each), whereas therapist listening (1.95) and adequacy of therapist time (2.30) were the lowest. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.646. Three factors explained 68% of total variance. Male participants reported higher satisfaction than female participants (48.2 ± 3.8 vs 42.1 ± 4.5; p < 0.001). In regression analysis, therapist respect was the strongest predictor of satisfaction (β = 0.671, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Patient satisfaction with outpatient physical therapy care in Karachi was high overall and was driven primarily by therapist-related interpersonal factors, particularly respectful treatment and communication.
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