Patient Complaints about Healthcare in Ambulatory Care Clinics at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Aim: Patient complaints are identified as a valuable resource for improving as well as monitoring the patient satisfaction and safety. This study aims to provide empirical data on the nature and severity of patient complaints reported in ambulatory care clinics at King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Method: A retrospective descriptive study was undertaken using the complaint database from 1st January 2015 through 30th June 2016. A total of 627 patient complaints were filed and all complains were included using total patient population sampling. Results: The findings of the study suggested that most of the complaints concerned patients aged 30-39 years (22%). Complaints received during the year 2015 were higher than that received in 2016 (26.5%). Overall, 75.6% of the complaints received were verbal, 74% complains were due to appointment delays, 78.5% were minor in level, and 97.1% were non-medical complains. Conclusion: Complaints can potentially be useful tool for assuring quality, as it mainly identify flaws in the system. Development of effective strategies, communication skill improvements, sufficient medical staff availability, paying attention to the needs of the patient as well as expectations among most significant things may modify individual behaviors, thus, reducing the complaints from public health facilities.