A Explorative Study of User Satisfaction and Its Determinants in Day Services

Abstract

This study identified the factor structure of user satisfaction with day service for the elderly and examined the determinants of the overall user satisfaction. The study design is a cross-sectional survey with interviewing the day service users. The sample came from service users in Mie prefecture agreed to participate in this study. The questionnaire was completed by 132 individuals. That is an average response rate of 82.5%. The factor analysis with varimax rotation identified four sub-scales of user satisfaction: Staff Attitude, Facility Comfort, Service Accessibility, Day Service Fee. The internal reliability of the sub-scales was moderate (0.72 to 0.56). The overall user satisfaction is composed of general satisfaction, amicable recommendation, and intended reuse. The internal reliability was also moderate (0.60). Results of the multiple regression analysis showed that the determinants of overall user satisfaction were Staff Attitude, Facility Comfort, Service Accessibility in sub-scales of the user satisfaction and that they were also age and family arrangement in demographic variables. The results are interpreted as providing the practical implications of service evaluation in day services. The main implication is that not only facility comfort but also staff attitude and service accessibility are crucial in order to improve overall user satisfaction of day service.