Patient Voices in Healthcare Quality: A Structured Analysis of Complaints in a Secondary Care Hospital in Pakistan

Authors

  • Usman Zafar Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Alkhidmat Raazi Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
  • Farrukh Ansar Medical Officer, Department of Medicine, Alkhidmat Raazi Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
  • Muhammad Bilal Ahmad Medical Officer, Department of Surgery, Quaid e Azam International Hospital, Islamabad, Pakistan.
  • Ashir Iqbal Medical Officer, Department of Medicine, Alkhidmat Raazi Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
  • Moiz Naeem Butt Medical Officer, Department of Medicine, Alkhidmat Raazi Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
  • Muhammad Suleman Medical Officer, Department of Medicine, Alkhidmat Raazi Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33897/fujd.v6i1.460

Keywords:

Communication Barriers, Patient Satisfaction, Quality of Health Care, Patient Complaints

Abstract

Objective: This study categorizes and examines complaints in a secondary care hospital in Pakistan to identify priority areas for quality improvement.

Materials and Methods: Patient complaints from 2018 to mid-2024 were reviewed and categorized using the Readers taxonomy, which organizes grievances into Clinical, Management, and Relationships domains. The data excluded 2020 and 2021 due to records unavailability.

Results: A total of 211 complaints were collected, with a complaint rate of 1.02 per 10,000 encounters. Complaints were categorized into Management (43.1%), Relationships (39.8%), and Clinical (17.1%) domains. Key issues included institutional delays, staff attitudes, and care quality. Among the 137 complaints with resolution data, 73.7% were resolved, primarily through patient information provision and staff training.

Conclusion: Structured analysis of patient complaints reveals key areas for targeted improvements. Recommendations include process streamlining, communication training, and enhanced safety protocols, with the aim to provide patient-centered care.

Downloads

Published

2026-01-31

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2026): Foundation University Journal of Dentistry

Section

Original Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Usman Zafar, Farrukh Ansar, Muhammad Bilal Ahmad, Ashir Iqbal, Moiz Naeem Butt, Muhammad Suleman

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

All copyrights © are reserved with the author(s) under (CC BY-NC 4.0). Foundation University Journal of Dentistry (FUJD) is an open-access peer-reviewed journal that allows free access to its published articles, in addition, to copying and use for research and academic purposes; provided the article is correctly cited. FUJD does not allow commercial use of any article published in FUJD. All articles published represent the view of the authors and do not reflect the official policy of FUJD.