Assessment of Patient Satisfaction with Orthopaedic Outpatient Services at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria

Patient satisfaction is a widely recognised indicator of service quality and a predictor of treatment adherence in orthopaedic care. This descriptive study investigates the level of satisfaction among patients attending the orthopaedic outpatient clinic at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, North West Nigeria. Using a validated Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire adapted for the Nigerian context, data will be gathered from 200 consecutive adult attendees over eight weeks. Domains assessed include waiting time, clinician communication, adequacy of clinical information provided, physical environment of the clinic, and accessibility of ancillary services such as physiotherapy and prosthetics. Sociodemographic variables, including age, sex, educational attainment, and distance from the hospital, will be captured and analysed for their association with satisfaction scores. The study hypothesises that prolonged waiting times and poor communication constitute the leading sources of dissatisfaction among patients in this setting. Findings will be benchmarked against national and regional surveys to highlight performance gaps. Recommendations will be directed at the orthopaedic unit management and hospital administration. Enhanced patient satisfaction is linked to improved medication adherence, better rehabilitation outcomes, and reduced litigation, making this inquiry clinically and administratively relevant. This project responds to recent quality improvement mandates from the Federal Ministry of Health and contributes evidence toward patient-centred care reform in Nigerian tertiary hospitals. Keywords: patient satisfaction, orthopaedic outpatient, service quality, Zaria, North West Nigeria.