A brief questionnaire for assessing patient healthcare experiences in low-income settings

摘要

Objective. The aim of this study was to develop and to assess the validity and reliability of two brief questionnaires for as se sing patient experiences with hospital and outpatient care in a low-income setting. Design. Using literature review and data from focus groups (n = 14), we developed questionnaires to assess patient experiences with inpatient (I-PAHC) and with outpatient (O-PAHC) care in a low-income setting. Questionnaires were administer, in person by trained interviewers. Construct validity was assessed with factor analysis; convergent validity was assessed correlating summary scores for each scale with overall patient evaluations, and reliability was assessed with Cronbach's alpha coefficients.Setting. Eight health facilities in Ethiopia. Participants. Patients > 18 years old who had a hospital stay > 1 day (n = 230), and patients who received outpatient c (n = 486). Main outcome measures. Patient evaluations of health care experiences. Results. The factor analysis revealed 12 items that loaded on five factors for the I-PAHC questionnaire. The O-PAH showed similar results with 13 items that loaded on four factors. Summary scores for nearly all factors were significant!· associated (P-value < 0.05) with the patient's overall evaluation score. The measure of reliability, Cronbach's alpha coefficien showed good to excellent internal consistency for all scales. Conclusions. The I-PAHC on O-PAHC questionnaires can be useful in assessing patients' evaluations of care delivery i low-income settings. The questionnaires are brief and can be integrated into health systems strengthening efforts with the support of leadership at the health facility and the country levels.