Satisfaction of tuberculosis patients with health services in Ghana: Views of healthcare professionals
International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance
ISSN: 0952-6862
Article publication date: 14 August 2017
Abstract
Purpose
Within human services, client satisfaction is highly prioritised and considered a mark of responsiveness in service delivery. A large body of research has examined the concept of satisfaction from the perspective of service users. However, not much is known about how service providers construct client satisfaction. The purpose of this paper is to throw light on healthcare professionals’ perspectives on patient satisfaction, using tuberculosis (TB) clinics as a case study.
Design/methodology/approach
In-depth interviews were conducted with 35 TB clinic supervisors purposively sampled from six out of the ten regions of Ghana. An unstructured interview guide was employed. The recorded IDIs were transcribed, edited and entered into QSR NVivo 10.0 and analysed inductively.
Findings
Respondents defined service satisfaction as involving education/counselling (on drugs, nature of condition, sputum production, caregivers and contacts of patients), patient follow-up, assignment of reliable treatment supporters as well as being attentive and receptive to patients, service availability (e.g. punctuality at work, availability of commodities), positive assurances about disease prognosis and respect for patients.
Practical implications
Complementing opinions of health service users with those of providers can offer key performance improvement areas for health managers.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is a first study that has examined healthcare providers’ views on what makes their clients satisfied with the services they provide.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The financial support provided through the National TB Control Programme, Ghana by the Global Fund to fight HIV, TB and Malaria is duly acknowledged. The study participants who made time out of tight work schedules to be part of this study are appreciated in no small measure.
Citation
Bonsu, F., Afutu, F., Hanson-Nortey, N.N., Ahiabu, M.-A. and Amo-Adjei, J. (2017), "Satisfaction of tuberculosis patients with health services in Ghana: Views of healthcare professionals", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 30 No. 6, pp. 545-553. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-10-2016-0146
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited