Satisfaction among Gen Y patients A case study of students at the International Islamic University Malaysia Noor Hazilah Abd Manaf Department of Business Administration, Kulliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Dinon Mohd IIUM Health Centre, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Kalthom Abdullah Department of Business Administration, Kulliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess satisfaction of Generation Y (Gen Y) patients in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach – A patient satisfaction study was conducted on an outpatient clinic at the Health Centre of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). The majority of students at the IIUM comprise undergraduates who are within the age group categorised as Gen Y. Patient satisfaction questionnaire was used as the main method of data collection. The survey was administered to patients over a two-week period during regular semester session. Findings – More than 85 per cent of the respondents are below 25 years of age, reflecting the Gen Y demography. Significant difference is found in the level of satisfaction on the service of doctors between the younger Gen Y undergraduate students and postgraduate students; as well as the Gen Y and the employees. Level of confidence in the clinic is also lower among those of the Gen Y age group, reflecting the higher expectation of service quality. Originality/value – Patient satisfaction is an important measure of the quality of care provided by healthcare organisations. Understanding the needs of a target group of patients can be used for continuous improvement where their specific needs and expectations can be addressed. A study on patient satisfaction among the Gen Y has been rarely explored. The study is an early attempt in filling the void. Keywords Age groups, Patients, Customer satisfaction, Customer services quality, Educational institutions, Malaysia Paper type Research paper Introduction Patient satisfaction is widely used by healthcare organizations as a means of evaluating and measuring the performance of its service delivery. The increasing emphasis on customer satisfaction in service management has given rise to the importance of patient satisfaction research as a measure of the quality of care provided by The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/1753-8394.htm Satisfaction among Gen Y patients 253 International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management Vol. 3 No. 3, 2010 pp. 253-266 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1753-8394 DOI 10.1108/17538391011072444