UTILIZING PERFORMANCE METRICS TO ASSESS HEALTHCARE QUALITY

Abstract

Background: In recent years, the healthcare system has experienced swift transformation. However, a recent Quality and Patient Safety Report indicated a deterioration in patient safety and quality culture among healthcare personnel. This underscores the need of evaluating treatment quality and patient safety from the viewpoints of both patients and healthcare providers.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify (2) the demographic parameters correlated with overall quality of care and patient safety, as well as (1) the perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals about patient safety and overall quality of care standards at two tertiary hospitals.

Methods: The research design employed was cross-sectional. Information regarding two subjects overall quality of care and patient safety—was collected utilizing the Healthcare Professional Core Competency Instrument and the Revised Humane Caring Scale. From late 2018 to early 2019, questionnaires were sent to patients (n = 600) and healthcare professionals (n = 246) across three departments in two tertiary hospitals: medical, surgical, and obstetrics and gynecology. Binary logistic regression and descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the data.

Results: A total of 367 patients and 140 medical professionals completed the surveys, yielding response rates of 61.2% and 56.9%, respectively. Healthcare professionals assigned superior ratings for patient safety (M = 4.39; SD = 0.675) and quality of care (M = 4.36; SD = 0.720) compared to patients (M = 4.23; SD = 0.706) and the general public (M = 4.22; SD = 0.709). The study identified a correlation between hospital attributes and overall healthcare quality (OR = 0.095; 95% CI = 0.016-0.551; p = 0.009), as well as patient safety (OR = 0.153; 95% CI = 0.027-0.854; p = 0.032) among healthcare personnel. A correlation was identified between the admission/work area and the participants' opinions of care quality (patients: OR = 0.257; professionals: OR = 0.093; 95% CI = 0.009-0.959; p = 0.046).

Conclusions: Patients and healthcare professionals assessed the quality of care and patient safety as excellent, with only small discrepancies, indicating high patient satisfaction and proficient healthcare providers. These perspectives can offer valuable and supplementary insights toward enhancing the overall standards of healthcare delivery systems.