gap analysis in access and quality of healthcare services :patients and providers perspective

Harishankar Sahu & Adil Refai School of Pharmaceutical Management, The IIHMR University

Gap analysis in Access and Quality of healthcare services :

Patients and Providers perspective

Paper presentationon

21th Annual International conference

Agenda

*Introduction*Problem statement*Objectives*Significance of the study

*Methodology*Findings*Conclusion*Limitations of the study

05/03/2023Pradanya 2016 International Conference 2

*The quality of Healthcare services depends on patient’s expectations and perceptions of services provided by the healthcare professionals.

*Stakeholders of Healthcare department are realizing the significance of customer centered philosophies and are interested in understanding perspective of patients in healthcare services.

*This paper seeks to assess the gap between patient’s perceptions and expectation from the healthcare services delivery and the extent of match between the patient’s and provider‘s perspectives.

Introduction


* The differences in expectation and perception of patients and healthcare providers in terms of Access and Quality dimensions in provision of healthcare services delivery.

Problem statement

Objectives* To identify the Gap between expectation and perception of patients

(beneficiary) in access and quality of healthcare services provided to patients.

* To identify the Gap between patient’s perception and physician’s perception in access and quality in healthcare services provided to patients.Significance of Study

* This study will facilitate in identification of Gaps in the different dimensions (Access and Quality), which will aid in developing an effective and oriented patient centric approach in provision of healthcare services.


*The study was descriptive, In which total 60 samples were taken randomly from different PHC’s of Mungeli District among them 30 were physicians and 30 were diagnosed patients.

*The Access and Quality dimensions of healthcare services were extracted from secondary sources (i.e. Articles, Journals,) and the pretested structured questionnaire was used as a tool for collecting data from patients and physicians.

* rating scale from 1-5 was used to measure the perceptions and priorities of patients and physicians.

Methodology


FindingsGraph 1: Gap between patient’s priorities and perception in Access of health care services .1

Table 1: Gap between patient’s priorities and perception in Access of health care services .

Service location

Transportation cost

Waiting time

Drugs and other consumables

EducationHousehold resources

Cost and price of services

Staff interpersonal skills and trust

Community and cultural preferences

2.533.544.55

Mean patient's priorities Mean patient's perception Access Dimension Gap

score

Geographical

Accessibility

Service location 0.13

Transportation cost -0.09

Availability

Waiting time 0.4

Drugs and other consumables -0.33

Education 0

AffordabilityHousehold resources 0.25

Cost and price of services -0.68

Acceptability

Staff interpersonal skills and trust 0.97

Community and cultural preferences -0.43


Findings

CleanlinessComfort

Functionality

Care

Understanding

CompetenceCourteous & Polite

Service Information

Equipment function

Prompt service

will to help

3

4

5

Mean patient priorities Mean patients perception

Graph 2: Gap between patient’s priorities and perception in Quality of health care services .2 Quality Dimension Gap

Tangibility

Cleanliness -0.202Comfort -0.61

Functionality -0.43

EmpathyCare -0.6

Understanding -0.03

AssuranceCompetence -0.38

Courteous & Polite 0.1

ReliabilityService Information -0.21Equipment function -0.07

Responsiveness

Prompt service -0.65will to help 0.08

Table 2: Gap between patient’s priorities and perception in Quality of health care

services .


FindingsGraph 3: Gap between patient’s and Physician perception in Quality of health care services.3 Quality Dimension Gap

Tangibility

Cleanliness 0.102Comfort -0.05

Functionality 0.43

EmpathyCare 0.13

Understanding -0.21

AssuranceCompetence 0.45

Courteous & Polite 0.17

ReliabilityService Information 0.1Equipment function -0.5

Responsiveness

Prompt service 0.57will to help -0.16

Table 3: Gap between patient’s and Physician perception in Quality of

health care services.

CleanlinessComfort

Functionality

Care

Understanding

CompetenceCourteous & Polite

Service Information

Equipment function

Prompt service

will to help

3

4

5

patient's perception physician's perception


Conclusion* Gap Analysis reveals that there is mismatch in patient’s priorities/ Expectations and patient’s

perception in most of the barriers to access and its dimensions. Also negative gap score in accessibility dimensions signifies that patients are not considering these barriers (e.g. Transportation cost, Drugs availability, Cost of services, staff skills and trust and community preference) as an important barriers in accessing the healthcare services in context to their priority levels.

* So it is necessary to focus on the dimensions of concern which will help to reduce over or under utilization and allocation of resources to particular dimensions. Equivalent are quality dimensions where mismatch of gap exists in priorities and perception of patients and even patient’s perception and physician’s perception over these attributes or dimensions of quality. Negative Gap score in perception and priorities of patients itself indicates patients are dissatisfied and vice a versa.

* Hence it is important to allocate the resources where required and dislocate the resources where positive gap score exists. For patient and physician perceptions in quality dimensions it is necessary to reduce Gap score in areas like prompt services by adopting patient centric approach which will take a lead to develop a plan and strategies which are up to patients expectations, medically correct and in ethical concerns with society.


Limitations of study*Study was conducted in one district of Chhattisgarh, hence cannot be

generalized to every state except Chhattisgarh.

*Perceptions and priorities are qualitative in nature and it differs along with person to person.

*Dimensions of Quality are based on SERVQUAL model and only selected factors/ attributes are considered from it based on researcher’s convenience and applicability in study.


Thank you