Patient’s Perception on Factors for Choice of Healthcare Delivery at Public Hospitals in Dodoma City

Abstract

Globally health is regarded as a human capital and thus healthcare delivery is treated as of crucial importance to all communities. Both non-price and price factors play a significant role in determining the patient's choice for healthcare delivery providers. Recently public hospitals have shown to face fairly growing community expectations, though they still perceived to have low quality healthcare, thus the intent of the study. Employing Chi-square and five point likert scale questions patient's choice and perception were assessed. The results show that there is greater relationship between age and patient's choices to attend at public hospitals, while education, sex and patient's occupation were not significant. Moreover, treatment cost, distance from the hospital, and location of the hospital and medicine availability were key indicators for patient's choice. Improvement of medicine availability and reduction of treatment cost is needed so as to attract patients in public hospitals. Since patient's choices are not completely rational, further research should be done on health outcome factors that influence patient's choice in order to integrate healthcare provider and health outcome factors towards improvements of quality health services at public hospitals.

The relationship between internal and external factors about the outpatients’ choice of hospital: A cross‐sectional study from Jiaxing City, China

“… 8 , 22 , 23 , 28 In addition, according to these empirical analyses, many ranked the importance of various factors, yet the results were varied, and there was no obvious consistency between different studies. 22 , 27 …”

“…These studies concerned the relationship between patients' sociodemographic characteristics and the choices to attend public or private hospitals and identified various factors patients consider in choosing hospitals, these factors which were observed also had differences among the various patient's sociodemographic characteristics. 8,22,23,28 In addition, according to these empirical analyses, many ranked the importance of various factors, yet the results were varied, and there was no obvious consistency between different studies. 22,27 In this study, we found although there are many characteristics of hospital providers, they can be integrated into hardware and software factors, respectively.…”

“…Only some efforts in recent years have been made to conduct similar empirical studies in developing countries like Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. These studies concerned the relationship between patients' sociodemographic characteristics and the choices to attend public or private hospitals and identified various factors patients consider in choosing hospitals, these factors which were observed also had differences among the various patient's sociodemographic characteristics 8,22,23,28 . In addition, according to these empirical analyses, many ranked the importance of various factors, yet the results were varied, and there was no obvious consistency between different studies 22,27 …”

“…A variety of patient characteristics determine whether patients make choices, are willing and able to choose, and how they choose. Many studies demonstrated that choice or decision to engage or seek a particular medical channel is influenced by a variety of sociodemographic and psychological characteristics, such as age, sex, education, profession, 8,22,23 and the degree of self‐recognition of the disease, 24,25 which we regarded as patients’ internal factors. Moreover, some studies also believed the choice is also based on patients’ external factors regarded as: studies have shown that nonprice and price factors play a significant role in determining the patients choice on services provision which make them be latent utility as an outcome; 4 other studies summarized provider characteristics are structure (the availability of providers, the accessibility of the providers, the type and size of the providers, the availability/experience/quality of the staff, the organization of healthcare, the cost of treatment), process (interpersonal factors, availability of information, continuity of treatment, waiting time, and the quality of treatment), and outcome (mortality or pressure sore rates) 15,26–28 …”

“…Many studies demonstrated that choice or decision to engage or seek a particular medical channel is influenced by a variety of sociodemographic and psychological characteristics, such as age, sex, education, profession, 8,22,23 and the degree of self-recognition of the disease, 24,25 which we regarded as patients' internal factors.…”