Patient Satisfaction with Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Services at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto

Patient satisfaction is an increasingly important metric for evaluating the quality of clinical services and has direct implications for patient compliance, health outcomes, and institutional reputation. In resource-limited settings such as those found across the North West geopolitical zone, understanding patient experience helps identify practical improvement areas within constrained budgets. This cross-sectional survey assesses the level of patient satisfaction with Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery outpatient services at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto. A validated satisfaction questionnaire was administered to 260 consecutive patients following their clinic visits over a four-month period. Satisfaction domains assessed include waiting time, clinician-patient communication, perceived competence of staff, facility cleanliness, pain management, and overall experience. Results indicate moderate overall satisfaction, with communication by resident doctors and postoperative pain management receiving the lowest scores. Long waiting times were the most frequently cited complaint, with some patients waiting over three hours before consultation. Patients with higher education and prior private hospital experience reported lower satisfaction with public clinic environments. The study recommends the introduction of appointment scheduling systems, patient education resources in Hausa, and structured communication training for clinical staff. These findings are relevant to health facility management in Sokoto and comparable institutions in the North West zone. Keywords: patient satisfaction, oral surgery, outpatient services, Sokoto, service quality.