Mahboobeh Hojati; Vajiheh Hojati; Asadolah Shams
Abstract
Introduction: Today, the implementation of electronic health records has caused great changes in the implementation of health industry services. Experts believe that use of electronic health records is the appropriate way to improve the quality of health services and reduce medical faults. Accordingly, ...
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Introduction: Today, the implementation of electronic health records has caused great changes in the implementation of health industry services. Experts believe that use of electronic health records is the appropriate way to improve the quality of health services and reduce medical faults. Accordingly, this study endeavored to determine the role of electronic health records in quality of services of health centers in Najafabad City, Iran.Methods: This observational study was cross-sectional in terms of time. The population included the recipients of Najafabad health network services. 400 individuals were selected via Morgan table, and the quality (accuracy) of services, speed of service delivery, waiting time, and service continuity (percentage of services provided) were recorded for them in paper and electronically. Data were analyzed using t and ANOVA tests.Results: The comparison of paper and electronic services revealed that with the implementation of electronic health records, there had been no change in the speed of service delivery and continuity; however, it reduced the quality (accuracy) of the services provided and increased the waiting time for receiving services.Conclusion: The two factors of speed of service delivery and waiting time have fundamental role in the satisfaction of service recipients; the implementation of electronic health records has not changed speed of service delivery, but has increased waiting time. Plans should be made to reduce waiting time and increase recipient satisfaction.
Hamed Fallah-Tafti; Mahdieh Zahmatkesh-Saredorahi
Abstract
Introduction: Many cities in Iran have specialized human resources and appropriate medical facilities, and have the potential to attract tourists. What is essential in realizing these capacities is the recognition of tourists' mental image of the potentials of therapeutic tourism destinations. The purpose ...
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Introduction: Many cities in Iran have specialized human resources and appropriate medical facilities, and have the potential to attract tourists. What is essential in realizing these capacities is the recognition of tourists' mental image of the potentials of therapeutic tourism destinations. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors affecting the development of therapeutic tourism.Methods: The study was a descriptive survey in Tehran, Iran, during summer and autumn of 2018 and winter of 2019. First, 38 factors influencing the development of therapeutic tourism were identified, and then by Delphi method, 34 factors were identified for formulating a questionnaire. With the reliability and validity of the questionnaire, a sample of 432 health tourists in Tehran with a history of frequent referral were selected randomly. Data analysis was performed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis methods.Results: By factor analysis, six main components were identified as factors affecting the development of therapeutic tourism. The factors affecting the development of tourism were as the quantity of health services (human resources and facilities available), quality of health services, living conditions, amenities and tourism, socio-cultural characteristics, advertising, and information.Conclusion: Despite the importance of quantity and quality of health services, due to the increasing demand for travel, patients traveling to receive treatment need more services, and consider the level of service development in different aspects. One-dimensional attention to the expansion of health care cannot guarantee the development of this type of tourism, and the supply of other tourist needs, such as recreation, favorable living conditions, and pleasant memories, is a sufficient condition for development.
Zahra Yavari; Majid Mohammad-Shafiee; Fatemeh Ghauor
Abstract
Introduction: Nowadays, health care organizations face many challenges in terms of service quality. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the quality of services in these organizations. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of service of specialized clinics in Shiraz City, Iran, using SERVQUAL model ...
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Introduction: Nowadays, health care organizations face many challenges in terms of service quality. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the quality of services in these organizations. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of service of specialized clinics in Shiraz City, Iran, using SERVQUAL model and specify the effects of service quality on the responses of service recipients during 2016.Methods: This was a descriptive research and the study population included all customers of 6 specialized medical clinics in Shiraz City. The sample size was determined to be 201, using stratified sampling. The data-gathering tool was a researcher-made questionnaire and the data were analyzed using structural equations modeling.Results: There was a congruity between customer expectations and perceptions of clinic performance in terms of the dimensions of service quality (tangibles, assurance, empathy, reliability, and responsiveness). In addition, the impact of service quality of these clinics on the reactions of service recipients was confirmed. This effect could explain 83 percent of service recipients’ reactions.Conclusion: Data analysis confirmed this model. Clinics managers using this model will be able to evaluate the quality of service, specify its effect on service recipients’ responses, and make plans for improvement of weaknesses.
Masoud Ferdosi; Mohammad Reza Rezayatmand; Abbas Feizbakhsh; Hamid Reza Dehghani; Golnoosh Aghili-Dehkordi
Abstract
Consuming medical services is labeled as utilization. Utilization studies are used by insurance companies to study the behavior of medical service consumers. Currently, insurance companies focus more on caregivers' behavior, and neglect the consumers’ side. This was a narrative review study carried ...
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Consuming medical services is labeled as utilization. Utilization studies are used by insurance companies to study the behavior of medical service consumers. Currently, insurance companies focus more on caregivers' behavior, and neglect the consumers’ side. This was a narrative review study carried out in year 2018 to emphasize the necessity of utilization reviews and their importance. In this study, we used ProQuest, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science databases without any time limitation. We chose 50 articles and reviewed them to found 5 essential questions about utilization reviews, and their importance, differences, and challenges, as well as factors affecting them. Our study revealed that having standardized data formats for service providers, integrated data pools, and relevant software sensitive to unusual service consumers, facilitate the utilization review studies.
Seyed Mohammadbagher Jafari; Gholamreza Jandaghi; Sahar Rafiee
Abstract
Introduction: Despite the vast benefits of Iran in the field of medical tourism, the number of tourists entering the country for medical reasons is still negligible. The aim of this study was to identify and prioritize the factors affecting the choice of medical tourism destination.Methods: This was ...
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Introduction: Despite the vast benefits of Iran in the field of medical tourism, the number of tourists entering the country for medical reasons is still negligible. The aim of this study was to identify and prioritize the factors affecting the choice of medical tourism destination.Methods: This was a descriptive study using survey method. The study population consisted of experts familiar with the subject of medical tourism, among which a sample of 12 individuals was selected. A questionnaire was used to measure the importance and priority of the extracted factors influencing the selection of medical tourism destination. Data analysis was performed by utilizing analytical hierarchy process (AHP).Results: Twenty-four indicators in four dimensions were identified, affecting the choice of medical tourism destination. Among the identified dimensions, the medical technology was more important than the other dimensions.Conclusion: According to the importance level, the affecting factors on the choice of medical tourism destination are medical technology, staff and treatment process, economic dimensions, and tourism dimensions. Paying attention to these factors and indicators for each of them will increase the attractively of medical tourism to Iran.
Azarnoush Ansari; Farzaneh Mohammadi
Volume 13, Issue 4 , November 2016, , Pages 297-303
Abstract
Introduction: The special brand equity is an important factor in marketing of health services especially in hospitals. The aim of the current study was to provide a model for evaluating the brand equity in Isfahan city hospitals, Iran.Methods: In this descriptive correlational survey, data were gathered ...
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Introduction: The special brand equity is an important factor in marketing of health services especially in hospitals. The aim of the current study was to provide a model for evaluating the brand equity in Isfahan city hospitals, Iran.Methods: In this descriptive correlational survey, data were gathered using a questionnaire. The reliability and the content validity of the questionnaire were proved through the methods of Cronbach's alpha (α = 0.91) and factor analysis, respectively. The study was done in 10 medical centers in Isfahan city in 2015. The number of questionnaires was 380 including 24 questions. SPSS software was used for describing the demographic variables and Amos software was used for approving the fitting of model with structured equations.Results: Hospital brand equity was directly affected by ‘satisfaction’, ‘experience’ and ‘loyalty’ of patients to the hospital brand. The factor of ‘loyalty’ with the impact of 0.91 played the most important role in enhancing hospital brand equity. ‘Trust’, ‘tendency to maintain the relations’ and ‘commitment’ were the other factors which positively affected making patients ‘loyal’. The factor of ‘pervious experiences’ had no significant impact on loyalty to hospital. The result of fitting model with the index of goodness of fit index (GFI) = 0.955, normed fit index (NFI) = 0.930, and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.071 showed validity of the proposed model for evaluating the hospital brand equity.Conclusion: According to the results, since enhancing patients’ loyalty and trust on service quality and increasing their commitment to maintain the relations with hospital are effective in hospital’s special brand equity, necessary actions should be done in order to reinforce and promote these variables. In addition, appropriate strategies should be considered in hospital policy in order to have better and more effective relations with patients during hospitalization and after discharging from hospital.
Mehran Alijanzadeh; Saeed Asefzadeh; Hamideh Khoshtarkib; Fatemeh Ghamari; Mahnaz Alijanzadeh
Volume 12, Issue 5 , October 2015, , Pages 636-646
Abstract
Introduction: The Quality health care issue that has attracted a lot of attention, Because Customers satisfaction is very effective in the health system. The Aims of this study was perceptions and expectations of the quality of health care in urban and rural Units health care providers.Methods: A descriptive ...
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Introduction: The Quality health care issue that has attracted a lot of attention, Because Customers satisfaction is very effective in the health system. The Aims of this study was perceptions and expectations of the quality of health care in urban and rural Units health care providers.Methods: A descriptive and analytical study was conducted in 2014 in Qazvin province. The Statistical Society was all people in the province of Qazvin. Due to sample size estimation of the proportion of the population in 1002 were examined in the 6city of Qazvin and its villages. Data collection tool was a questionnaire SERVQUAL including 5 Scope: tangible, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy based on the Likert scale. Cronbach's alpha value was 91 percent and test-retest coefficient of the study was 83 percent. Data entered to SPSS software and analyzed by paired Test and Pearson correlation. Results: The mean age of the population was, 32± 9/9 and 73 ± 47 minutes average waiting time for receive services. The most frequent recipients of services based of education, the education Less than high school diploma 3.43 percent (344 cases), followed by education diploma with the 29.6 percent (297 cases). Average perception in aspects of tangible (physical), reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy was 3.53, 3.54, 3.53, 3.70, and 3.39 respectively. Also expected was to be equal in size 4.58, 4.62, 4.58, 4.59 and 4.55 respectively. The maximum amount gap with the -1.155 was related to empathy scope and the reliability gap with the least amount of -0.888 related to ensuring scope and was statistically significant.Conclusion: According to the results of the study will be offered, Planning and policy for the promotion of empathy scope considered.
Mohsen Ghaffari Darab; Mohammad Hossein Yarmohammadian; Elahe Khorasani; Hamed Alaghemandan
Volume 11, Issue 6 , November 2014, , Pages 799-811
Abstract
Considering the quality of care from views of patients is an important aspect in improving health services and expected value of patient. So the value chain is a strategic tool in health care organizations to create value and achieve the goal of continuous improvement in quality. In this paper we discuss ...
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Considering the quality of care from views of patients is an important aspect in improving health services and expected value of patient. So the value chain is a strategic tool in health care organizations to create value and achieve the goal of continuous improvement in quality. In this paper we discuss the role of value chain in promoting quality of health care. This study was review which was done the first half of 2012. For searching related articles and documents, the main value chain keyword and sub keywords quality and satisfaction were used in the database. Title, abstract and full text investigated respectively, and then 43 of them selected for evaluation. Findings were classified in several parts. These findings include the concept of quality, planning achieve to value-based quality, value chain, its use in health care organizations, describing components, logic planning implementation strategies, value adding healthcare service delivery strategies and value adding support strategies. In this paper, we try to noted different aspects of the value chain, two important parts of value chain including value adding healthcare service delivery strategies and value adding support strategies. Value chain can be an important tool for managers in order to planning and improve the quality. Keywords: Quality of Health Care; Health Care; Value Chain; Patient Satisfaction.
Saeed Karimi; Mahmood Keyvanara; Mohsen Hosseini; Marzie Jafarian; elahe khorasani
Volume 10, Issue 6 , December 2012, , Pages 862-875
Abstract
Introduction: Health literacy is the degree to which people understand the health information and can operate in the health care system. Consequences of low health literacy occur both directly and indirectly. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine health literacy, health status and health ...
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Introduction: Health literacy is the degree to which people understand the health information and can operate in the health care system. Consequences of low health literacy occur both directly and indirectly. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine health literacy, health status and health services utilization and their relationships in adults in Isfahan. Methods: This study was a descriptive analytical survey on 300 (18-64 years old) people in Isfahan, multi stage sampling was performed. For collecting the data, questionnaire adapted from CHAP (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) health literacy questionnaire was used. Health status was measured by self-assessment of physical and mental health over the last 6 months. Health services utilization was asked by six areas that include the number of GP visits, number of special physician visits, number of outpatient or clinic visits, number of the emergency department visits, number of diagnostic services use of the last 3 months and the hospitalization in the past year. For data analysis SPSS18 software, descriptive statistics and Chi-square test was used. Results: Average health literacy score was 2.4, which was moderate. The average health status score was 3.1, which was good and the average health services utilization score was 2.1, which was weak. Health literacy, health status and health care utilization were not statistically significant. Levels of education and place of residence were effective on health services utilization. Conclusion: According to the average prevalence of health literacy in adults in Isfahan and low health services utilization, more attention to the improvement of health literacy and doctor-patient relationship and awareness of community through health programs and media was recommended. Keywords: Health Literacy; Health Status; Health Services; Utilization
