Abstract
In Japan, after a period of rapid economic growth, the migration of the central city population to the suburbs has caused issues related to the decentralization of urban functions and the hollowing out of the central city area. The “Basic Policy and Action Plan for Revitalization” created a compact city that provides a range of functions necessary to facilitate living in the central urban area. A compact city needs to have commerce, government, welfare, hospitals, and transportation. Previous studies have reported that people move closer to hospitals when they relocate from the suburbs to the city center. The reasons for this tendency include “hospital convenience” and “emergency response.” However, a specific investigation has not been conducted. The purpose of this study is to extract the main factors influencing outpatients’ expectations of and satisfaction with hospital care in order to identify and effectively operate a hospital suitable for a compact city. The main factors of patients’ expectations and satisfaction were investigated using a questionnaire survey. A factor analysis revealed that outpatients living near clinics show expectation and satisfaction in “reception.”
