Keywords
Attributes
Satisfaction
Categories
How to Cite
Abstract
Objective: To develop attributes relevant to satisfying ophthalmic care among health providers and patients.
Design: Mixed-method study.
Settings: Harare Central Hospital Eye Unit, Zimbabwe.
Subjects: A convenience sample of 30 eligible adult patients who had come for eye care at the outpatients’
department and 18 health care providers.
Methods: This study was conducted as the first phase of a two-phase broader study. We held five focus groups
with patients and doctors separately and twelve in-depth key informant interviews with nurses. Participants
were asked to identify attributes of the care process they regarded as leading to satisfying eye care. We recorded
full details and used a tallying method to record frequencies. We then ranked and identified key attributes, with
the top three attributes regarded as the most important.
Results: The study developed nine attributes from health providers and seven attributes from health users.
The most important attributes for health providers were the availability of drugs, good staff attitude and the
availability of equipment. Patients prioritised good staff attitude, adequate information and the availability of
doctors. All the attributes mentioned by health users were mentioned by health providers but ranked differently.
Conclusion: Both clinical and nonclinical attributes of care were considered by health providers and health
users. Overall, attributes that were important to patients were linked to interpersonal relations (attitudes,
communication, availability of, and access to doctors). Health providers’ preferences were mostly clinical (drugs
and equipment). Acknowledging these differences in perspectives may help policymakers when designing
frameworks for quality health services.
References
Ziaei H, Katibeh M, Eskandari A, Mirzadeh M,
et al. Determinants of patient satisfaction with
ophthalmic services. BMC Res Notes. 2011; 4:7.
Ofovwe CE, Ofili AN. Indices of patient satisfaction
in an African population. Public Health. 2005;
(7):582–586.
McHugh MD, Kutney-Lee A, Cimiotti JP, Jeannie
P, et al. Nurses’ widespread job dissatisfaction,
burnout, and frustration with health benefits signal
problems for patient care. Health Aff (Millwood).
; 30(2):202–210.
Batbaatar E, Dorjdagva J, Luvsannyam A, Savino
MM, et al. Determinants of patient satisfaction:
a systematic review. Perspect Public Health.
;137(2):89–101.
Schoenfelder T, Klewer J, Kugler J. Determinants
of patient satisfaction: a study among 39 hospitals
in an in-patient setting in Germany. Intern J Qual
Health Care. 2011; 23(5):503-509.
Barr JK, Boni CE, Kochurka KA, Nolan KA, et
al. Public reporting of hospital patient satisfaction:
The Rhode Island experience. Health Care Financ
Rev. 2002; 23(4):51–70.
Quality Chasm 2001 report brief. Crossing the
Quality Chasm. http://www.nationalacademies.
org/hmd/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2001/
Crossing-the-Quality-/Chasm/Quality%20
Chasm%202001%20%20report%20brief.
pdf(2001, accessed Mar 9 2020).
Mead N, Bower P. Patient-centredness: a conceptual
framework and review of the empirical literature.
Soc Sci Med. 2000; 51(7):1087–1110.
NEJM catalyst. What is patient-centered care?].
https://catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/
CAT.17.0559 (2017, accessed 16 Mar 2020.
Larson E, Vail D, Mbaruku GM, Kimweri A, et al.
Moving toward patient-centered care in Africa:
a discrete choice experiment of preferences for
delivery care among 3,003 Tanzanian women. PloS
One. 2015; 10(8):e0135621.
Jagero N. Client satisfaction and health services:
The case off Mutare, Zimbabwe. https://www.
academia.edu/14640365/Client_Satisfaction_
and_Health_Services_The_Case_off_Mutare_
Zimbabwe (2015, accessed 25 Mar 2020).
Ministry of Health Zimbabwe. National eye
strategy ZIMBABWE 2014- 2018. https:iapblive.
blob.core.windows.net/resources/120 National-
Eye-Health-Strategy ZIMBABWE 2014-2018.
pdf?width&height=150.(accessed 23 Jan 2019)
Green AR, Carrillo JE, Betancourt JR. Why the
disease-based model of medicine fails our patients.
West J Med. 2002; 176(2):141–143.
Peabody FW. The care of the patient. JAMA. 2015;
(18):1868–68.
Fitzpatrick R. Surveys of patients’ satisfaction:
Important general considerations. Br Med J. 1991;
(6781):887–889.
Health systems in Africa. https://www.afro.who.
int/sites/default/files/2017-06/english---health_
systems_in_africa---2012.pd .(accessed 5 June
.
Mendoza Aldana J, Piechulek H, al-Sabir, A.
Client satisfaction and quality of health care in
rural Bangladesh. Bull World Health Organ. 2001;
(6):512–517.
Hanson K, McPake B, Nakamba P, Archard L.
Preferences for hospital quality in Zambia: results
from a discrete choice experiment. Health Econ.
; 14(7):687–701.
Bruster S, Jarman B, Bosanquet N, Weston D.
National survey of hospital patients. Br Med J.
; 309(6968):1542–46.
Murgic L, Hébert PC, Sovic S, Pavlekovic G.
Paternalism and autonomy: views of patients
and providers in a transitional (post-communist)
country. BMC Med Ethics. 2015; 29:16.
Patients’ Charter. https://www3.ha.org.hk/pwh/
content/comm/patientchartermultimedia.html
(accessed Feb 1 2020).
Stiggelbout A, Van der weijden T, Wit M, Frosch D.
Shared decision making: Really putting patients at
the centre of healthcare. Br Med J. 2012; 344:256.
Honda A, Ryan M, Van Niekerk R. Improving the
public health sector in South Africa: eliciting public
preferences using a discrete choice experiment.
Health Policy Plan. 2015; 30(5):600–611.
Montgomery AA, Fahey T. How do patients’
treatment preferences compare with those of
clinicians? Qual Saf Health Care. 2001; 10(suppl 1):
i39–i43.
McKenna SP. Measuring patient-reported
outcomes: moving beyond misplaced common
sense to hard science. BMC Med. 2011; 9(1):86.